Thousands of homes and businesses in Kent, particularly Tunbridge Wells, are experiencing a second day of water supply issues due to an instrument failure at a South East Water treatment works. The company, facing financial uncertainty, expects supplies to return Sunday evening and has opened bottled water stations.
The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for May, with highs reaching 33.5C. The heatwave is expected to persist, with warnings of increased illness and mortality rates, particularly for vulnerable groups. Experts stress the need for heat adaptation measures and emission cuts.
Plastic surgeons report a rise in patients seeking AI-generated 'ideal' faces, which often present unattainable standards for skin, bone structure, and symmetry. Experts warn these AI visions can lead to unrealistic expectations and potentially harmful surgical requests.
Kent schoolgirl tracks down 10,000 namesakes as part of campaign – but non-Kirstys are welcome to donate tooCalling all Kirstys! A schoolgirl from Tunbridge Wells in Kent is seeking people who share her name to help raise money for research into paediatric brain tumours like the one for which she is being treated.Kirsty Waugh, who turns 12 on Monday, has already persuaded more than 10,000 Kirstys, Kirsties, Kersties and assorted other variants to plot their locations on a map that shows Kirstys can be found everywhere from Colombia to Malaysia, and even at the Rothera research station in Antarctica. Continue reading...
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has declared no confidence in South East Water's leadership after a scathing report described the company as 'devoid of proper leadership' and 'riddled with cultural problems'. The rebuke follows a major water outage in late 2025 that left tens of thousands of customers in Tunbridge Wells without drinking water for two weeks. The report highlights failures at Pembury Treatment Works, including a lack of water testing and routine maintenance. Ofwat is consulting on a fine of up to £22.46m.
