FAMILIES have had to bathe at friends' homes and flush their loos with rainwater because their water supply has virtually dried up.

A total of 22 houses near Borstal, Rochester, have been affected for almost a week.

At times the water supply totally dries up. At others, it come out in a trickle or is a filthy brown colour.

The families, from the Brambletree Cottages area, have bombarded Southern Water with complaints but the company says it is not responsible as their piping is private. Paul and Georgina Orchard and her three children have had to drive almost a mile to a friend's home to bathe or do their washing.

Mrs Orchard said: "For two days we had absolutely no water at all. It obviously affected our ability to cook and we couldn't wash dishes so we had to eat out. In the following days it has been erratic, with only trickles coming out and no hot water.

"It is disgusting. We are paying water rates like everyone else and we are not even getting any supplies.''

Families say problems were first noticed last Wednesday when tap water came out brown.

Dawn Bracken, a mother of two, said: "It looked absolutely disgusting and I wouldn't dare drink it. We have stocked up on bottled water."

Southern Water spokesman Neil Duncanson said: "We supply water to the mains but these residents get their water through a private piping arrangement.

"We have had several calls from residents and are sending our local manager to examine the problem first-hand. But he will stress that their supply comes from a private pipe, which is not the responsibility of Southern Water."

Medway Council's environmental health department is investigating and was sending out an inspector. The private firm involved was not available for comment today.