Residents in Yalding and East Peckham had their water supply restored today after some were cut off yesterday - on the hottest day on record. With temperatures soaring above 40C, many homes saw their supply slow to a trickle and then disappear altogether.

Matthew Graham of Lyngs Close, Yalding, said his supply went off completely at midday on Tuesday and didn't return until this morning.

He said: "Even now it's coming out yellow."

But how residents fared seemed to be dependent on the topography of their homes.

Sonya Coster, also of Lyngs Close, lost her supply at 7.30pm last night, though she said the water pressure had been low all day.

She said: "If the system can't cope now, how is it going to cope with all the new housing going on around Yalding?"

Mother and daughter Sonia and Michele Martin were critical of South East Water's response.

Mrs Martin said: "We understand they are handing out bottled water in East Peckham. Neither of us drive. How are we supposed to get there?"

A similar criticism was voiced by June Chapman of Yalding Post Office. She said: "We were told nothing officially, but I did hear they were handing out water at Wrotham last night so I drove over there to collect some water for our elderly people living in the almshouses. When I got there at ten to nine, they had run out! They re-directed me to East Peckham where I was able to pick some up."

Julie Hoskins of Vicarage Road, Yalding, said her supply had gone off around 8pm on Tuesday. She said when her husband arrived home from a long day working in London, there was no water for a shower. She said: "He was so desperate he washed in the kids paddling pool in the garden!"

Meanwhile, South East Water staff had pallets of water bottles to distribute this morning from the car park of the East Peckham Village Hall in Bush Road, but had hardy any takers.

Hall manager, Tim Roper said: "When they asked if they could use our car park, naturally we were happy to oblige - the hall is for the community after all."

He said: "But to be honest, I don't think many in East Peckham lost water altogether, it was more a case of very low pressure."

South East Water said that residents in Seven Mile Lane, Wateringbury, Bow Hill, East and West Peckham, Yalding, Paddock Wood and Hadlow had been affected.

The company apologised and said the problems were due production running at maximum capacity.

On Sunday, a different problem - a string of water main bursts - had led to residents in Paddock Wood losing supply.

A second bottled water station is available at Comp Lane, Borough Green, Sevenoaks, TN15 8QT.