Around 17,000 households and businesses across Kent and Sussex are now enduring a fifth consecutive day without a reliable drinking water supply. South East Water (SEW) has confirmed the ongoing disruption, which it attributes to damage caused by Storm Goretti.
Storm Damage and Slow Restoration
The utility company stated that burst pipes and power failures triggered by the recent severe weather are behind the latest incident. This follows a similar crisis in December that left 24,000 properties around Tunbridge Wells without water for nearly a fortnight.
While SEW reports it has restored supplies to 8,000 customers, significant challenges remain. The majority of those still affected—approximately 11,500 properties—are in East Grinstead, East Sussex. The company has pledged that work to return water to all customers in Kent and Sussex will continue throughout Wednesday.
Community Impact and Political Backlash
The prolonged outage is causing severe disruption. Kent County Council noted that while most schools were open, some may close early if they exhaust their water reserves. Several schools in Sussex have remained shut entirely.
The situation has ignited fierce political criticism. Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, has been calling for the resignation of SEW chief executive David Hinton for over a month. This sentiment was echoed on Tuesday by Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran, who declared that "heads must roll" over the repeated failures.
MPs on the Parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee have expressed deep scepticism about the company's explanation for the previous crisis. Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael indicated plans to recall both Mr Hinton and SEW chairman Chris Train to give further evidence.
Company Response and Support
SEW's incident manager, Matthew Dean, issued another apology: "We know and understand how difficult going without water for such a long period of time is and how difficult it makes everyday life."
The company has established bottled water stations in key locations, including Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, and Maidstone. Residents are advised to check the South East Water website for specific station details and opening times. An SEW spokesperson said, "We have fully complied with the Committee’s request for information to date and we will continue to provide any further information requested."
