Schools have been forced to close and thousands of residents have been left without water following an electrical fault at a supply factory.

Southern Water has confirmed that people living in parts of Broadstairs and Ramsgate have had their taps run dry or experienced low pressure this morning.

Stations are set to be created to distribute bottles to families, while the company will also send out deliveries to vulnerable customers.

The firm insists it is "working as hard as we can put it right" - but the problem has already sparked calls for compensation and prompted the closure of at least two schools.

A statement from Southern reads: "Customers in the CT10 and CT12 areas of Ramsgate and Broadstairs will be experiencing low pressure or loss of water supply, as a result of an electrical fault at our supply works.

"We’re working as hard as we can to put it right as soon as possible.

"We’ll be setting up bottled water stations and we are delivering bottled water to customers on our priority service register.

"Customers may notice some discolouration as we restore supplies.

"This is normal as we re-charge the network and customers should just run their taps until the water runs clear.

"We expect everyone to be back in full supply in the next few hours, as we restart systems following an electrical fault at our site in the early hours of this morning. We're really sorry for any disruption this has caused."

Upton Juniors in Edge End Road, Broadstairs, has shut its doors for the day due to health and safety reasons linked to the supply issue.

Meanwhile, St Mildred's Primary Infant School has also asked parents to collect their children as soon as possible.

A spokesman said: "We have been further notified that due to the continuing water problem and the fact that it does not appear that this will be resolved any time soon that we have now been advised to close the school.

"Therefore, we would appreciate if you could come and collect your child/children as soon as possible."

This is the latest in a catalogue of Southern Water blunders in recent months.

Waste water was released into the sea between Margate Main Sands and Joss Bay in Broadstairs in June, after Foreness Pumping Station was hit by lightning.

The company was slapped with a £90 million fine the following month for dumping 21 billion litres of raw sewage into the sea from treatment works in Kent, West Sussex and Hampshire between 2010 and 2015.

In August, swimmers were advised not to swim between Tankerton, near Whitstable, and Herne Bay after an electrical fault caused a major leak from a sewage treatment works in Swalecliffe.

Dozens of homes in Herne Bay were flooded as the town's sewer network was overwhelmed by “once-in-50-year rainfall” a couple of weeks ago.

And just five days ago, properties spread across four postcodes in Broadstairs were left without water following a power cut.

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