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3h ago

South East Water Restores Most Supplies After Weeklong Outage in Kent and Sussex

Ofwat has launched twin investigations into customer service standards plus supply maintenance after consecutive breakdowns.

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South East Water outages have left thousands without water: Luis Tosta on Unsplash
TUNBRIDGE WELLS, ENGLAND - JANUARY 13: Bottled water is carried to a car at an emergency water distribution point on January 13, 2026 in Tunbridge Wells, England. Kent County Council has declared a major incident as an estimated 30,000 properties across Kent and Sussex have been impacted by water supply issues over recent days, forcing schools and businesses to close. South East Water (SEW) has said Storm Goretti affected the water company's ability to treat raw water, coupled with burst water mains attributed to freezing and thawing conditions. This latest set of issues comes only weeks after a six-day supply failure affected 24,000 properties in Tunbridge Wells, leading several MPs to call for the resignation of SEW boss David Hinton. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Overview

  • SEW says continuous supplies returned to 6,500 properties in Tunbridge Wells after a recovery plan, with some customers still facing low pressure and about 320 homes in Bidborough remaining affected.
  • At the peak, roughly 30,000 customers across Kent and Sussex had no water or low pressure after Storm Goretti caused burst pipes and power cuts.
  • The company’s recovery plan kept local booster pumps off for 36 hours to refill storage tanks, while 26 tankers and bottled‑water sites continue to support affected areas.
  • Ofwat has opened two probes into whether SEW met customer service obligations and maintained supply, with possible fines up to 10% of turnover or, in extreme cases, licence revocation leading to special administration.
  • Schools reported closures, delayed mock exams and sanitation problems, and resident anger escalated into protests and direct‑debit cancellations following repeated outages in recent weeks.