BOTTLE JOB
FAMILIES left without water for over 24 hours have blasted the shortages as “pandemonium” as they were forced to endure five-mile queues for bottles.
Supermarkets have now run out of water after two main water pipes burst on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
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One local Dave Boswell says people on the island are now beginning to panic and things are “getting dangerous”.
Videos show colossal queues as desperate residents try to get their hands on water.
Hundreds of people have been lining up for hours this morning as the UK has been hit with sweltering heatwave - with the mercury soaring above 30C.
Six schools, several shops, bars, cafes and restaurants and even the island’s hospital have been forced to shut their doors because of the water shortages.
Dave told The Sun: “Yesterday there were collection points to pick up water but the queues were five miles long. It was pandemonium.
“It's now getting to the stage where it's dangerous. There's not a drop to drink on the island.
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“If you don’t have a car then you're stuck on the island with no water. It feels like we’ve been abandoned.
“There are literally people in the streets shouting ‘does anyone have any spare water?’.
“At the water stations things are starting to get heated. It's getting out of control. There is literally nothing.”
Last night Southern Water announced that the water mains had been fixed - but this morning they revealed they are still carrying out works.
This morning they revealed that a second waters main has now burst.
Hundreds of people queued up to get two-litre multipacks from a Tesco car park in Sheerness today.
'ABSOLUTE JOKE'
But Southern Water workers told the masses, whose taps have run dry for more than 24 hours, they had run out by 11am.
Mum of three Leanne Eaton, 32, who works in retail said as she returned home empty-handed: "It's an absolute joke.
"I've got a six month old baby at home and we're running out of pre-made bottles."
"They need to distribute the water equally or some people aren't going to survive.
"Now I'm going to drive empty bottles to my sister's house to fill up and waste £10 petrol."
Tesco is one of the emergency water stations set up to deliver 300,000 litres to the island's 40,000 residents - with others in Minster, Leysdown and Standford Hill Prison.
There's not a drop to drink on the island. People are starting to panic.
Resident Dave Boswell
Southern Water are also making home deliveries to the most vulnerable - but Geoff Newman claims his elderly parents are still waiting for one.
The retired financial consultant, 62, worries how mum Val, who suffers from Osteoporosis, will continue to care for his 84-year-old dad Alan with dementia.
He told The Sun: "It's affected them really badly. They're both on the register for Southern Water but they haven't had water now for two days.
"They can't flush the toilet or get drinking water. They're not coping.
"We phoned Southern Water three times and after waiting more than half an hour each time, they confirmed they are on the register, admitted surprise they hadn't had a delivery and would be made an emergency.
"But they're still without any water. It's crazy. It's like a third world country. It's absurd."
Meanwhile ideo shows desperate residents being forced to wash themselves in the sea as the shortages move into the second day.
Dave continued: “It’s just the way they've dealt with it that's so frustrating - saying it's fixed when it clearly isn't.
“There's things like we haven't been able to flush our toilets for 24 hours and with the heat things have gotten pretty grim in that regard.
“Southern water has lied to us. They told us that the situation was fixed - but we all woke up this morning in the same situation as yesterday. Nothing has come through. We’ve just been forgotten about.
“They were meant to have water points set up again today from 7am but now they're saying they won't be ready until 9am.”
Have you been left without water? Call The Sun Online on 0207 782 4368 or email [email protected]
In a statement this morning the company said: “We are extremely sorry that homes and businesses on the Isle of Sheppey are still without water as people wake up this morning – and the hot weather continues.
“Our teams worked tirelessly to repair the burst main last night, and while the initial burst was fixed, when the network filled unfortunately another took place. Teams onsite are working to fix this as quickly as possible.
“Our priority remains providing water to all those affected. Bottled water stations are open and we are continuing to deliver to our priority services customers.
“Thank you to the community for their understanding and patience during this difficult time, and to our partner agencies, including the emergency services, who are helping with this effort.”
SCORCHING HEATWAVE
It comes as the UK's scorching heatwave is set to last for more than a week.
The country has been warmer than parts of the Maldives in the past few days with temperatures expected to peak at 33C today.
A Cobra meeting took place yesterday as Government ministers draw up their first-ever heatwave emergency response.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued a level three heat-health alert for the South East.
The weather has already caused some carnage - with a section of railway track bursting into flames in Battersea, South London, yesterday.
Fires also spread across the Army's Salisbury Plain Training Area on Monday.
Bookies have now slashed the odds on a possible hosepipe ban, and water bosses have urged customers to cut down by not washing cars or sprinkling lawns.
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