The chief executive of South East Water is under intense pressure to resign as more than 23,000 households across Kent and Sussex enter another day without a reliable water supply. The ongoing crisis, which began last Saturday, has forced school closures, impacted businesses, and left families reliant on emergency bottled water stations.
Mounting Political Pressure and Public Anger
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has spearheaded calls for David Hinton, the £400,000-a-year CEO, to step down. Farage accused Hinton of presiding over a "culture of failure" for too long. This sentiment is echoed by local councils and MPs across the political spectrum.
Kent County Council leader, Linden Kemkaran, stated that "heads must roll" after what she described as systematic failures. A letter signed by six MPs has been sent to the water regulator, Ofwat, demanding that South East Water (SEW) not be allowed to "get away" with its handling of the emergency.
The political scrutiny is intensifying, with SEW bosses, including Hinton, set to be hauled back before a parliamentary committee to answer further questions about pre-Christmas outages.
An 'Apocalyptic' Situation for Residents
The human impact of the failure is severe. Towns such as East Grinstead, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford, and Seven Oaks are among those affected. Residents have described resorting to collecting rainwater in buckets and bins to flush toilets, with one local calling the situation "apocalyptic."
Vikki Chalk told the BBC her heart went out to large families with young children, stating the situation must be "impossible." Frustration has boiled over, with some customers vowing to stop paying their water bills entirely.
SEW has deployed customer care teams to deliver bottled water to those on priority registers and is supporting hospitals, care homes, and schools with tankers and supplies.
Investigations and Excuses
South East Water has blamed the chaos on a combination of Storm Gorretti and a power cut at one of its key pumps. Incident manager Matthew Dean apologised and pointed to recent cold weather causing a spate of leaks, which drained drinking water storage tanks.
Despite promises, the company could only state that supplies in Sussex should return today, offering no firm deadline for the restoration of service in Tunbridge Wells.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate has launched an investigation, while Ofwat confirmed it is actively investigating SEW's supply resilience and will consider "further action." This scrutiny comes as it was revealed Hinton received an additional £115,000 bonus last year.
Hinton, who has avoided several media interview requests, previously told a committee the company was "absolutely dedicated" to fixing the network's problems. However, with thousands still without a basic utility and political pressure at a peak, his leadership is now on the line.
