Residents of Tunbridge Wells are enduring a sixth day without water, the second such outage in weeks, as South East Water blames freezing weather for leaks in its ageing pipe network. More than 30,000 homes across Sussex and Kent have been affected, with many facing intermittent supply or none at all.
Schools have closed, pubs and restaurants have shut their doors, and residents report overflowing toilets and an inability to shower. Gary, a local resident, said: 'We can’t wash up, every day we have to decide what to cook based on how much water we have. We’ve been showering at the local gym.' He added that his toilet is 'currently full'.
Local MP Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat, returned from parliament after hearing of problems with water bottle distribution. He described 'terrible stories' from vulnerable people, including those with young children, the elderly, and those recently discharged from hospital. 'It’s a real disaster not having water,' he said.
Kama Bass, 53, has had almost no water for a week. 'I’ve had to organise with a friend when to shower at her house,' she said. 'It’s still been pretty grim. I actually am getting stressed about the amount of plastic water bottles I am having to use.' Her neighbour Hugh Wilson, 65, has a disabled daughter, making the situation 'very difficult'.
The Bull pub in Forest Road has been forced to close for a second time, with a sign stating 'due to no water, we have no option but to close.' A local cafe unaffected by the outage has been acting as a makeshift creche for children whose schools are shut. One grandmother helping with homework said: 'It’s bad management … it seems to be so many issues and still the CEO gets a big bonus.'
Dave Hinton, chief executive of South East Water, who has a base salary of £400,000 and received a £115,000 bonus last year, has been largely absent from media. He told a parliamentary committee he avoids interviews because questions focus on his pay, which he considers a distraction. Residents like Scott Richardson, who has had no water for three days, said Hinton is 'not really that apologetic'.
