Water restrictions enter second week at Darent Valley Hospital
Plus local elections, utility failures, pollution cases and the rest of the week across Kent
Water restrictions are ongoing at Darent Valley Hospital, where part of the site has remained unable to use tap water normally for more than a week after a supply issue that could have compromised water quality. We also cover this week’s Tunbridge Wells elections, Kent’s continuing water company problems, council meetings, planning applications, and the latest mix of politics, public services and local stories from across the county.
Water restrictions enter second week at Darent Valley Hospital
A major Kent hospital is restricting tap water use in part of its site more than a week after a supply issue that could have compromised water quality.
Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford says the problem has been affecting the west block since last Tuesday.
The hospital says the affected water supply was immediately isolated after the issue was identified, and repairs have now been completed, but the water cannot be returned to normal use until flushing and laboratory testing have been carried out and the supply has been confirmed as safe.
Results from that testing are not expected until the end of this week at the earliest, meaning restrictions in parts of the hospital are set to continue into a second week.
This is, to put it mildly, not where you want a water safety problem to be dragging into a second week.
The trust has apologised to patients, visitors and staff for the disruption, saying it recognises the “inconvenience” being caused while work continues to resolve the issue safely.
Until the restrictions are lifted, some areas of the hospital will remain unable to use tap water as normal. The hospital says those areas are clearly signposted.
Patients, visitors, and staff in affected areas have been told not to drink tap water, to use bottled water and designated handwashing facilities, and to follow staff guidance on which facilities are safe to use.
Toilets remain operational across the hospital.
The trust says alternative arrangements are in place to provide safe drinking water and independent handwashing facilities where needed.
But the restrictions have prompted concern from patients and visitors, with several people describing the impact in public Facebook posts and local community groups.
One former patient, who said she had recently spent 12 days on Linden Ward, described the situation as “heartbreaking,” saying patients and staff were struggling with the disruption.
Others have described taps being out of use, people relying on wipes or hand sanitiser, and families trying to manage basic washing without normal access to water.
One person who said they had attended the hospital for a transfusion on Saturday wrote that they could not find a toilet with a working sink tap and had to use hand sanitiser instead. They questioned why the disruption had continued for several days and asked how the hospital’s business continuity arrangements were being managed.
Another person, who said they had been at the hospital with their daughter from Tuesday night until Thursday, said they had been told the issue was related to a leak and described trying to wash bottles with bottled water.
The trust says the rest of the hospital is unaffected, including surgical services, intensive care, radiology, most outpatient areas, the main entrance, and catering and cleaning services.
The hospital remains open.
In an update a key question open, the hospital said: “When an issue occurred with the hospital’s water supply that could compromise water quality, the west block water supply was immediately isolated, and repairs were undertaken.”
“While the repair work has now been completed, the water supply cannot return to normal use until all required safety assurance processes have been completed and the supply has been confirmed as safe.”
The affected system is now undergoing pipework flushing and detailed laboratory testing to make sure the water is safe for drinking and washing.
The hospital says it is working with specialist partners responsible for the hospital’s infrastructure to complete the process as quickly as possible, but that safety assurance work “takes time and must be fully concluded before restrictions can be lifted.”
The trust has not publicly confirmed the precise cause of the issue. ITV Meridian reported on Monday that an internal fault was believed to be to blame for the problem affecting the west block.
The hospital’s own statement does not say there has been confirmed contamination, only that the original issue could have compromised water quality.
The trust’s careful wording leaves a key question open, while the length of the disruption is now becoming difficult to ignore.
By the time test results are expected at the end of this week, parts of Darent Valley Hospital will have been under tap water restrictions for at least 11 days.
The trust says the situation is being managed under its incident response arrangements, with ongoing review to ensure patient care can continue safely.
“We understand the frustration and inconvenience this is causing. Please be assured that we are treating this with the utmost seriousness and will return the affected areas to normal use once all required assurance checks have been completed and the water supply is confirmed as safe.”
Until those tests come back, part of Darent Valley Hospital remains stuck in an uncomfortable limbo of being open, operational, but still unable to use its taps as normal.
The big read
The i has visited Margate in the wake of the Green Party's victory over Reform, and perhaps more importantly, Labour in Cliftonville last month. They find voters who no longer trust Labour, don't really want Reform, and just seem to be looking for change.
Vicky Spratt
Council matters
Elections:
Tunbridge Wells: Voters in 13 wards will elect new councillors this week, as one third of the borough is up for election at the Liberal Democrat controlled council.
Meetings this week:
- Kent: Growth, Environment & Transport Cabinet Committee meets today (Tuesday) to discuss the Tilbury-Gravesend ferry, the council's position on solar generation, raising the cost of the Kent Travel Saver, and the Swanscombe Hole.
- Medway: Cabinet meets tonight (Tuesday) to discuss the Article 4 Direction against HMOs, and procurement for the Innovation Park Medway project and residential care for older people.
- Gravesham: Planning Committee will decide on 100 new homes in Meopham, 40 new homes in Higham, and 29 new homes in Gravesend tonight (Tuesday).
- Sevenoaks: Scrutiny Committee will hold an extraordinary meeting tonight (Tuesday) to discuss the transfer of community assets from the council.
- Kent: Selection and Member Services Committee will meet on Friday to discuss election spending returns and changes to KCC's constitution.
New planning applications:
- Canterbury: Conversion of a former oast house next to Canterbury Castle into a community centre.
- Gravesham: Change of use of an ambulance station in Northfleet into a nursery.
- Swale: Expansion of Cave Hotel and Golf Resort, including 36 new rooms, spa, holiday lodges, padel courts, and 24 self-build homes.
- Swale: Conversion of the George Inn in Teynham into 9 homes.
In brief
🧑⚖️ Southern Water has pleaded guilty to polluting the north Kent coastline between 2019 and 2021.
💩 Sewage has been discovered spilling into the River Len in Maidstone.
🚰 South East Water has been fined £76,000 for illegally extracting millions of litres of water from private land near Tonbridge.
👨💼 MPs have declared that they have no confidence in South East Water's leadership to turn the company around.
💉 Hundreds of vials of clinical waste are among thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped over cliffs on the Isle of Sheppey.
🗳️ Councillors in Maidstone have agreed to set up a new town council.
📦 Independent KCC councillor for Birchington Rural, Amelia Randall, has been forced to move to Folkestone after receiving an eviction notice.
🚧 Kent County Council have taken out a new £50m per year highways contract running for 21 years despite the fact that the authority won't exist in two years.
🚁 Fuel costs for the Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance have increased by £25,000 per month since the start of the conflict in the Middle East.
🗣️ Searchlight have been examining how some of the worst racists in Kent are lining up behind Restore.
🐍 Therapy reptiles are being trialled on mental health wards in Maidstone for anyone who has ever wanted to feel better by being introduced to a snake.
🧖 Walmer Town Council aren't happy about a new sauna, despite overwhelming public support.
🌳 If you've ever wanted to own a country park, Betteshanger near Deal is up for sale.
🐬 Rescuers are keeping an eye on a dolphin trapped in a river lock in Allington.
🏠 Dover District Council are very upset that someone in Deal painted their house blue.
🏏 Kent Cricket have discussed its new social media policy of turning off comments on posts to protect mental health.
📜 The history of Whitstable's Squeeze Gut Alley.
😬 Greggs has not been particularly well received in Whitstable.
🍲 The Guardian reviews Willy's in Margate.
🎉 A massive congratulations to the excellent Folkestone Dispatch, which is celebrating its first year of publication.
Kent is large, messy and often faintly absurd. The Kent Current is backed by readers, which means we can report on it properly. An annual subscription costs £1.15 a week and helps make that possible.
Property of the week
This week’s property is a Grade II listed semi-detached oast just outside Tenterden, with the sort of far-reaching countryside views that do most of the selling for you. It is the main part of the original oast, converted in 1986, with four bedrooms over three floors, a large sitting room with a brick fireplace and wood burner, a spacious dining room, and a kitchen with a stable door out to the garden. Outside is where it really leans in, with a quarter of an acre of established gardens, a vegetable plot and greenhouse, shed and log store, plus a detached double garage and off-road parking, all set back behind a gated shared driveway. It is also close enough to the high street that you can tell yourself you will walk in regularly, rather than doing the usual slow lap looking for somewhere to park.
Events this week
🎸 Tue 5 May - The Pictish Trail // Electro-acoustic psych-pop from Scotland. Ramsgate Music Hall. Tickets £22.50.
🎤 Tue 5 May - Andy Zaltzman: The Zaltgeist // Host of The Bugle podcast assesses the state of the world. Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone. Tickets £22.50.
📖 Wed 6 May - Robin Ince: Normally Weird & Let the Quiet Ones Rise // Comedian, author and broadcaster tours his latest books. Hampton Bay Park, Herne Bay. Tickets £11.
🎸 Fri 8 May - John Bramwell // Former singer-songwriter of I Am Kloot. Forum, Tunbridge Wells. Tickets £25.
🎸 Sat 9 May - Deerhoof // Legendary US/Japanese rock band. Ramsgate Music Hall. Tickets £27.50.
🎸 Sun 10 May - Gwenno // Multi-lingual ex-Pipette tours new album. Ramsgate Music Hall. Tickets £22.50. Also at Forum, Tunbridge Wells on 12 May.
Footnotes
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