Thousands in south-east England face Christmas without running water

Locals forced to rely on emergency bottled water as pipes leak and burst after recent rapid thaw

Tens of thousands of households in parts of south-east England face the prospect of a Christmas without running water as suppliers struggle with burst pipes after a rapid thaw from last week's freezing temperatures.

South East Water admitted that it could not guarantee all customers in Kent and East Sussex that water would be restored by the Christmas weekend, after a threefold increase in leaks.