The chair of South East Water, Chris Train, has resigned with immediate effect following a parliamentary report that declared 'no confidence' in the company's leadership after widespread supply failures in Kent and Sussex. Lisa Clement has been appointed as interim chair.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee attributed the firm's poor performance to leadership incompetence and a lack of accountability, criticising an inadequate governance framework that failed to hold senior staff responsible. The outages between November and January left thousands without tap water, showers, or flushing toilets.
In a statement, South East Water said it was 'mutually agreed that new independent Board leadership is now required' to oversee a period of transformative change. The company apologised for 'operational failures' that led to a loss of public trust and noted the Efra report, pledging to double investment in its water supply network over five years.
The Efra committee's report described the company as 'devoid of proper leadership' and 'riddled with cultural problems', calling for leadership change. It also urged shareholders to hold the company to account. The firm faced criticism for poor infrastructure maintenance, failure to monitor risks, and a slow, disorganised response during the crisis.
Committee chair Alistair Carmichael described it as 'an exceptional failure of management and corporate governance', highlighting the dangers to communities including schools and care homes. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for the CEO and board to be dismissed.
