We live in the UK’s ‘best town’ and people say it has ‘pretty much everything’… but there’s a downside driving us crazy
LOCALS living in the town named UK’s best place to live have revealed one major downside – and it’s driving them crazy.
Wadhurst received the prestigious title in March, topping the Sunday Times list as the number one spot Brits should want to live.
But now homeowners in the East Sussex slice of paradise are slamming their town and branding it’s reputation as “just a reality TV thing.”
They claim the construction of more houses in the area is causing “chaos” with their water supply.
One fuming resident, Jutta Wrobel, has lived in Wadhurst for 35 years and told The Argus: “I’m furious.
“I expect to be able to fill my paddling pool, five days into a heat wave.
“The schools are closed and the care home residents have had no water for days.”
Jutta has even organised a community wash in a public reservoir to combat the stifling heat and no running water.
“This is supposed to be the best place to live in Britain but we have no doctors, no water and the village is congested most of the time with cars driving around the massive potholes”, she added.
“The best village in Britain is just a reality TV thing.”
She also revealed the village struggled without water for three days just before Christmas.
“So the water going off now is nothing to do with the heat,” the artist said.
“When the water goes back on, it won’t last very long unless the root problems are faced by South East Water.”
Another scathing local, Beryl Alexander, fumed about the water supply issues.
The 86-year-old said: “We had to adapt in the war and it’s just like that now.
“We’ve not had any water since Monday.
“I rang them up this morning and by this afternoon we had a trickle.
“It has been chaos, a debacle.”
Beryl attributed the “chaos” to new homes being built and the original water systems failing to keep up.
“We’ve gone to eating salads, so we don’t have to cook”, she continued.
“I’ve always been careful with water anyway but this has been a debacle.”
South East Water incident manager Steve Andrews said: “Most customers in the worst affected areas should have seen their tap water supplies return overnight.
“However, some customers on higher ground may still have no water or low pressure.
“We will continue to do all we can to increase levels in our treated water storage reservoirs, but demand is still high, despite the announcement of a hosepipe ban yesterday in Kent and Sussex.”
He urged water to be used for essential purposes and emphasised the availability of bottled water stations.
This comes after Wadhurst was praised for its schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street.
Judges for the Sunday Times list said the East Sussex market town has “pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature”.
Wadhurst residents previously described the town as the “best of both worlds” – although some may be in disagreement now.
The village is made up of thriving, independently owned shops, but also it’s small enough to escape the hustle and bustle.
If you want to see the seaside, you’re just an hour away – which may be handy for locals with no access to running water through the heatwave.