Homes were left with no heating or running water for much of the day due to burst pipes.

People in the ME3 area between Chattenden and Higham were affected by the damage, which was reported at about 7.15am.

Southern Water engineers resolved the issue in both Chattenden and Higham by about 3.40pm.

Earlier, one man took to Twitter to ask: "Any news on when water will be back in me3 7bp? I have an elderly father with no running water or heating."

On its website, a statement from Southern Water said: "Sometimes repairs take longer than we’d like, as we need to complete numerous checks and tests.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we thank you for your patience."

The burst in Higham took longer to fix "due to the complexity of the repairs and damage to a nearby gas main", the company said.

"Again, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused," the statement added.