Water supplies have reportedly been restored after thousands of homes were affected by shortages due to burst pipes.

Schools have been forced to close and 7,000 homes in Lenham have been left without water or very little pressure following a huge number of burst pipes after snowstorms.

Both Lenham Primary School and the Lenham School announced that they have been struck by a water shortage and will not be open to pupils today.

A Tweet from Lenham Primary School said: “Unfortunately we are going to have to close the school today, due to lack of water.

“We were hoping to start at a later time, but cannot be guaranteed when the work would be completed. We apologise, once again, for the disruption.”

Homes had been left without water since 1pm yesterday and a water collection point was set up by South East Water.

A Tweet from the water supplier said: “We’re sorry to customers in Ashford Lenham who are waking up to no water this morning.

“Bottled water will be delivered to Lenham this morning.”

Sittingbourne was also affected by the huge number of bursts across the pipe network which were caused by thawing following freezing temperatures last week.

South East Water had asked homeowners, business owners and members of the public to keep an eye out for leaks after 130 million litres of extra water was pumped out across the network on Saturday.

A South East Water spokesman said: "We still have water supply issues across Kent and Sussex this morning. We are doing all we can to get as many customers back on supply as soon as possible and apologise sincerely to those without water or with low pressure.

"We will be replenishing the bottled water stations already set up as quickly as we can this morning and we will be opening more as soon as possible."

He added: "We are prioritising supplies for our vulnerable customers and those with medical needs and also providing updates as much as we can.

"We are continuing to ask customers who do have water to help reduce demand by only using water for essential tasks. Where possible, take a shower instead of a bath, do not leave taps running unnecessarily and only run washing machines and dishwashers with a full load. This will make a real difference."

Customers have also been asked to check their pipes for leaks and bursts and to call a plumber if necessary.