Thousands of households across Kent are being asked to restrict their water usage to "essential" tasks following widespread disruptions to local supplies.

South East Water has cautioned residents in the county that reserves held inside its drinking storage tanks remain "critically low".

While service was restored for 7,400 properties in Blean, Rough Common and Herne Bay by Tuesday morning, roughly 400 homes continue to experience low pressure or complete supply loss.

Mike Court, South East Water incident manager, said: “Drinking water supplies have been restored to the 7,400 properties in the Herne Bay, Rough Common and Blean areas of Kent which were experiencing no water or intermittent supplies yesterday.

“However, properties in Herne Bay may experience intermittent supplies later today due to high demand for drinking water in the area as the storage tank which supplies the area remains at a critical level.

“Approximately 400 properties in the Benenden, Cranbrook and Rolvenden areas of Kent are continuing to experience low pressure or no water this morning.

“Water levels within our drinking water storage tank which supplies the area remains critically low.

“We’re therefore urging all customers to continue using water for essential uses only today.”

The firm was the first to issue a hosepipe ban this summer when it barred customers in some parts of Kent from using them on July 3, before introducing the restriction for its entire network, which includes parts of Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, about three weeks later.

On Tuesday, the latest hosepipe ban began for all of Wessex Water’s 1.4 million customers across areas in Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

It was the first ban the company enforced for 50 years, since the long, hot summer of 1976.

South East Water previously warned it requires fresh financing to remain solvent after incurring a £55 million loss due to winter outages.

While current funds are sufficient until July 2027, the company indicated that further financing would be essential "shortly after" this date.

The company said in its annual report: “Shortly after the going concern period it will be necessary to secure new loan facilities in order to continue as a going concern.

“The severe but plausible downside case… would indicate a need for further financing towards the end of the financial year.”