The water supply director of South East Water has argued its chief executive should not step down over a major supply failure in Kent, stating the problems facing the sector are "far wider than individual people".
Boil Notice for Thousands of Homes
The company has had a "boil water notice" in place for 24,000 homes in and around Tunbridge Wells since issues began on November 29. Residents have experienced either a complete loss of water or very low pressure.
Initially, South East Water (SEW) shut down supplies due to water quality concerns. While it resumed pumping on Wednesday to allow for toilet flushing and showering, the water remains unsafe to drink without boiling first. The company confirmed the original water quality issues had returned, complicating the situation.
Leadership Under Fire
The ongoing crisis has sparked significant criticism. Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin told the BBC it represented a "total failure of leadership" and called for the resignation of SEW's chief executive, Dave Hinton.
However, Douglas Whitfield, SEW's water supply director, has publicly defended the CEO. He stated that demands for Hinton's resignation "fundamentally misunderstand the challenges" the company and the wider water industry are confronting.
"I would point you to the independent Water Commission that sets out the challenges the water industry are facing and the changes it needs to make," Mr Whitfield told BBC Radio Kent. "They're far wider than individual company and individual people."
Apologies and Ongoing Uncertainty
Mr Whitfield apologised to customers, emphasising that public health was the "key priority" behind the precautionary boil notice, which was initially set for 10 days. He admitted, however, that he could not guarantee the underlying problem would be solved within that timeframe.
The director explained that engineers were unable to provide a "definitive answer" as to why the water was not responding to normal treatment processes, despite the plant currently operating within water quality parameters.
"Until we're confident that we've resolved the issue and that it won't reoccur, we'll be working to keep that boil notice in place," he said. Mr Whitfield also apologised for what he called "overly optimistic" communications to customers, describing this as one of the most complex events the company has ever faced.
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW), the independent consumer body for England and Wales, has called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
