A major incident has been declared across parts of Kent as thousands of residents begin a second consecutive week without a reliable water supply.
Storm Goretti Blamed for Widespread Disruption
South East Water (SEW) has stated that the ongoing outage, affecting approximately 14 postcode areas, is a direct result of Storm Goretti. The severe weather is reported to have caused significant damage, including multiple burst pipes and localised power cuts, crippling the utility's infrastructure.
On the morning of Monday 12 January 2026, communities in Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, Maidstone, Whitstable, Canterbury, and numerous surrounding towns found their taps still dry.
Multi-Agency Response Activated
The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF), a coalition of local councils and emergency agencies, took the decision to escalate the situation to a "major incident". This status enables a coordinated, enhanced response to mitigate the impact on the public.
A spokesperson for the KMRF confirmed: "Resilience Forum partners are working tirelessly together with the water companies to limit the impact on communities, businesses and residents and will continue to do so until the situation is completely resolved."
CEO Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny Amid Ongoing Crisis
The latest failure comes hot on the heels of intense political scrutiny for the water company. Just last week, SEW's chief executive, David Hinton, was questioned rigorously by MPs during a hearing of the Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
He was held to account for his handling of a previous incident in December, which left 24,000 customers in Tunbridge Wells without water for several days. Following the hearing, the committee's chair, MP Alistair Carmichael, sent a formal letter challenging the "accuracy and intent" of Mr Hinton's evidence.
In response to the current emergency, SEW has established bottled water stations for affected residents. The locations of these stations in Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead are listed on the company's official website.
South East Water has been approached for further comment regarding the timeline for full restoration of services.
