Ministers are chairing daily emergency meetings as a water supply crisis leaves 17,000 properties across Kent and Sussex without drinking water for a fifth consecutive day. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed the government's intervention, describing the situation as "totally unacceptable".
Company Blames Storm as Outages Continue
The latest failure, which follows a similar incident in December, has been attributed by South East Water (SEW) to Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts. While supplies have been restored to 8,000 customers, significant disruption persists. The company's incident manager, Matthew Dean, issued a fresh apology, acknowledging the immense difficulty for affected residents.
An SEW spokesperson stated that supplies would continue to be returned throughout Wednesday. However, the majority of those still affected, approximately 11,500 properties, are concentrated in East Grinstead, East Sussex.
Political Pressure Mounts on Water Firm
The ongoing crisis has ignited fierce political criticism. During Prime Minister's Questions, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey demanded the government strip South East Water of its licence, accusing the company of failing customers "over and over again" and misleading Parliament.
Sir Keir responded by outlining government actions, including doubling compensation rates for individuals and businesses and demanding urgent infrastructure investment. He also promised a forthcoming water White Paper.
Scrutiny from MPs is intensifying. Alistair Carmichael, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, expressed deep scepticism over SEW's explanation of last month's crisis, which left 24,000 properties near Tunbridge Wells without water for almost two weeks. The committee plans to recall SEW chief executive David Hinton and chairman Chris Train for further evidence.
Community Impact and Response
The disruption is severely impacting daily life. Kent County Council confirmed most schools were open on Wednesday, though some risked early closure if they ran out of water. Several schools in Sussex remained shut.
Local politicians are voicing outrage. Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, has called for David Hinton's resignation for over a month. Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran stated unequivocally that "heads must roll" over the repeated failures.
For residents, the immediate relief comes from bottled water stations. These remain in place in Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, and Maidstone, with location details available on South East Water's website.
