Pressure is intensifying on the chief executive of South East Water, David Hinton, as revelations emerge that he is in line for a potential £400,000 bonus. This comes while tens of thousands of his customers in Kent and Sussex have endured repeated and prolonged water supply failures.
Executive Rewards Amid Customer Crisis
David Hinton, 58, saw his total pay and perks reach £457,000 in the year to April 2025, which included a £115,000 bonus. His basic salary was also increased by 30% to £400,000 from April 2025. Furthermore, he received an additional £50,000 for his role in negotiating a wave of bill increases that saw customer prices jump by an average of 20% starting in April 2024.
Looking ahead, Hinton could be awarded a £400,000 'service award' in 2030, a move designed to retain experienced leadership. These financial gains for the executive stand in stark contrast to the experience of South East Water's 2.3 million customers.
Widespread Disruption and Regulatory Scrutiny
The water company's performance has sparked an unprecedented investigation by the industry regulator, Ofwat. The probe will examine a catalogue of supply problems dating from November 2025, which left around 30,000 properties across Kent and Sussex without water at the peak of the crisis.
One of the most severe incidents occurred in Tunbridge Wells, where approximately 24,000 properties were left without drinkable water for nearly two weeks during November and December. The company initially blamed Storm Goretti and a power cut at a pumping plant, but these explanations have been met with scepticism.
Lynn Parker, Ofwat's senior director for enforcement, stated the last six weeks had been "miserable for businesses and households" and that the investigation would determine if the firm breached its licence conditions. If found guilty, South East Water could face a fine of up to 10% of its turnover or even lose its licence.
Political and Consumer Backlash
The crisis has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and consumer advocates. David Hinton was grilled by MPs last week regarding the November and December failures and has been recalled, alongside chairman Chris Train, to provide further evidence to the Parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said "all options should be on the table to punish" the company, describing the situation as "like whack-a-mole" with new problems appearing as others are fixed. Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, has been calling for Hinton's resignation for over a month.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that ministers were holding daily emergency meetings over the outages, which have forced several schools in the affected regions to close. Bottled water stations remain in operation in towns including Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, and Maidstone.
Separately, it was revealed that while no dividend was paid to shareholders in 2025, they shared £2.25 million in payouts in 2024. South East Water is owned by a consortium including the Utilities Trust of Australia, NatWest Group's pension fund, and Canadian firm Desjardins.
