Two schools have been forced to close after taps ran dry in parts of Kent and Sussex as temperatures rose to 27C on Tuesday.

South East Water said households in six postcodes were experiencing low or no water from their taps on Monday, which it blamed on hot temperatures causing a spike in demand.

Beacon Academy in Crowborough and Rotherfield Primary School, both in East Sussex, were forced to close because of a lack of water.

Nus Ghani, the Tory MP for Wealden in East Sussex, which has suffered frequent water shortages in recent months, criticised the situation as “woeful”.