The west block has had a water safety notice in place since Tuesday, April 28, preventing drinking or washing with tap water. Staff have resorted to cleaning patients with wet wipes, and there is no clean crockery, with issues maintaining cleanliness without running water. One patient who discharged herself said nurses in Linden Ward were under immense pressure and working in horrendous conditions.
A visitor said her father-in-law in The Mulberry Ward has been unable to get a cup of tea because of the water issues, despite bottled water being available. The Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust previously said bottled water had been handed out to patients, while portable handwashing facilities had been set up. The Trust announced on Tuesday that repairs have been completed to the water systems but that the supply cannot yet return to normal use.
Water samples are currently undergoing laboratory testing to confirm safety, with results not expected before Friday, May 9, at the earliest. Some areas of the hospital will continue to have restrictions on tap water use, with clear signposting, while toilets remain fully operational and alternative arrangements provide safe drinking water and independent handwashing facilities. In the remainder of the hospital, including surgical services, intensive care, radiology, most outpatient areas, the main entrance, and catering and cleaning services, the water supply is safe, unaffected and available for normal use.
The hospital remains open and fully operational. The Trust apologised for the frustration and inconvenience caused by the lack of water, and urged patients, visitors and staff not to drink tap water in the affected areas, and to use bottled water and designated handwashing facilities provided. Toilets remain safe to use, and patients and visitors have been urged to contact staff with any queries.
A spokesperson previously said an issue arose from an internal fault within the hospital's heating system which led to potential contamination of the hot and cold water network. The exact cause of the outage has not been confirmed, though major media have reported alleged sewage contamination. uk, Jim Dickson, Labour MP for Dartford, described the situation as fast becoming an urgent situation.
He said he had written to the hospital chief executive to ask about plans to ensure wards can safely operate, and had been reassured that portable sinks and bottled water are available. The Trust is ranked 90th out of 134 in NHS England's official performance league table. Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and its PFI provider have identified over 40,000 issues needing rectification at Darent Valley Hospital, covering cladding, ventilation, lighting, acoustics, and structural concerns.
The fire and rescue authority issued an enforcement notice to the PFI provider mandating fault remediation by 2027 due to significant fire safety issues. The Trust is prepared to take over rectification work if the PFI provider fails to make adequate progress. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, warned that sewage in rivers and seas is a public health problem, not just an environmental issue.
Canterbury researchers found elevated E. coli in the River Stour, including strains resistant to last-resort antibiotics. Kent hospital data show community-associated E.
coli bloodstream infections remain stubbornly high. Hospital cases caught in the community do not prove those infections came from sewage in rivers or seas. Weekly sampling of the River Stour at 16 sites across Canterbury found a 12-month median background E.
It's fast becoming an urgent situation.
coli level of around 1,200 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres, with intestinal coliform levels two to three times higher. Measured against bathing-water standards, the River Stour would be rated poor. Antibiotic-resistance testing on 220 samples from high-use sites found 22% produced viable E.
coli colonies after antibiotic exposure. Of the multidrug-resistant colonies, around 10% showed polymyxin resistance and 20% carbapenem resistance. Samples from Lough Neagh contained genes resistant to multiple antibiotic classes, including carbapenems, according to the Guardian.
In late November 2025, a major supply failure at the Pembury water treatment works left tens of thousands of South East Water customers without running water. The plant was shut down on 29 November after South East Water admitted a bad or chemical batch of coagulant chemicals contaminated the treatment process. Approximately 24,000 homes across Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Frant and Eridge experienced a loss of water supply or reduced water pressure at the peak of the outage.
By 2 December, only partial supply had been restored, and a boil notice was issued to all customers in the area. Bottled water distribution points were set up at several sites, including the local sports centre, cinema car park, and town hall. By 3 December, water had been restored to about 12,000 properties, but recontamination forced all 24,000 back out of supply.
On 4 December, South East Water stated the network could not produce drinking water meeting safety standards, so they were only pumping water for flushing toilets and showering, and extended the boil notice to at least ten days. Schools, nurseries and many businesses were forced to close due to the lack of clean water. Residents described fetching rainwater to flush toilets and washing at hotels.
Some vulnerable people reportedly did not receive promised deliveries of key supplies. A Tunbridge Wells couple with seven-month-old twins described spending hundreds of pounds on takeaways and £125 for a single shower in a hotel. The owner of a 20-room hotel said he lost at least £30,000 and was forced to mothball the business.
A pub manager reported having to cancel regular events and throw away thousands of pounds worth of food, with losses of more than £3,000 by 3 December. Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin said it has been appalling what the people of Tunbridge Wells have had to suffer over the last week. The opening of the £105m National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall was delayed after the facility failed water quality checks.
The centre was due to welcome its first 18 patients on 11 November, but final water testing was ongoing. Patients will continue to be treated at a specialist neurological unit at City Hospital in Nottingham. Recent patients and family members have taken to social media to claim the situation is causing distress.
It remains unclear when the water supply in the west block will be fully restored and declared safe, and what specific contaminants were found in the water system. The PFI provider's plan and timeline for rectifying the over 40,000 issues at the hospital have not been disclosed.