Hundreds of people have been left without water following a power cut at a water treatment plant.

Residents in Battle are without water for the second evening in a row as South East Water issue an apology to customers.

A power cut at a water treatment works caused the site to shut down yesterday, preventing water from being produced. 

Technicians are on site fixing the problem and anticipate taps will be flowing by tomorrow morning. 

South East Water said: "Although we have technicians on standby 24/7, the snow and ice meant we had to deploy one of our 4x4 vehicles to collect the technician and take him to the site, by which time our water stores had been used up by customers."

It said power had been restored, but it was a "long and complex process" to return the water production to expected levels.

The water company said: "Because the site had completely emptied, we need to take additional actions to get it running again. Please be reassured we are treating this issue with the highest priority."

The water company, which serves customers across the South East, said it was unable to provide emergency water supplies due to the road conditions.

If you are vulnerable, or are worried about someone who is, call the emergency line on 0333 000 0365.