Households were left without water for hours after a pipe burst and cut off their supply.

South East Water was alerted to the gushing leak at 12.30am yesterday and offered free bottled water to residents while repairs were made in Highgate Road, Whitstable.

The incident left 22 homes with no water or low pressure until the work was completed by early evening.

South East Water’s regional network manager David Winterburn said: "Our contractor was on site quickly and carried out repairs to reduce the impact for customers.

“Across South East Water’s network we have 9,000 miles of pipework which supply 540 million litres of water a day.

"With such a large network incidents like this do happen from time to time, but we work hard to prevent them and repair them rapidly.

“We also have a dedicated team of Leakbusters who are out and about all the time looking for leaks and bursts on our network."

Customers are urged to alert South East Water to any problems by calling 0333 000 3330 or tweeting @sewateruk.