Pressure is mounting on the chief executive of South East Water to step down, as thousands of homes across Kent and Sussex face a fifth consecutive day without running water. MPs have branded the company's handling of the crisis "totally shambolic" and are demanding the immediate removal of boss David Hinton.
Mounting Political Fury Over 'Inadequate' Leadership
As of Wednesday, 14 January 2026, an estimated 17,000 properties remain without water, with the worst-affected area being East Grinstead in East Sussex, where approximately 11,500 homes are dry. The disruption, which follows a major incident declared earlier in the week, has sparked fury from local politicians who accuse the water firm of repeated failures.
Conservative MP for Maidstone and Malling, Helen Grant, told The Independent that her constituents have been let down time and again. "I have no confidence in the company and I don't think they're fit for purpose," she stated. "The leadership team is inadequate and I think serious changes need to be made." Grant was one of six MPs who signed a letter calling for Mr Hinton's removal.
Echoing this sentiment, Conservative MP for Weald of Kent, Katie Lam, described the company's response as "totally shambolic", citing a lack of reliable information and support for vulnerable residents. She revealed that in her constituency, a volunteer group had to step in to provide bottled water.
A Pattern of Failure and National Scrutiny
This latest crisis comes just weeks after more than 20,000 properties lost supply before Christmas, an incident for which South East Water bosses have been recalled to appear before the parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee. Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael said MPs remained "deeply sceptical" about the company's explanation for the previous outage.
The issue reached the floor of the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for the firm to be stripped of its licence, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer labelled the situation "totally unacceptable". Starmer confirmed that ministers are holding daily emergency meetings to hold the company to account.
Labour MP for Ashford, Sojan Joseph, blamed the outages on "heavy deregulation and neglecting water infrastructure", while Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, said the disruptions were "having an unimaginable impact on the daily lives of residents", forcing parents into expensive last-minute childcare arrangements.
Company Response and Regulatory Pressure
South East Water has attributed the supply failures to burst pipes and power cuts caused by Storm Goretti, stating it is "working around the clock" to fix the issues. The company has repeatedly apologised and has set up bottled water stations in Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, and Maidstone.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "David Hinton remains committed to resolving the immediate issues facing customers... whilst continuing to seek to obtain the investment to deliver the much needed improvements in resilience."
However, the water regulator, Ofwat, has voiced "concern" and stated it will review all evidence to determine if South East Water has met its legal obligations. The regulator has powers to impose fines, ban executive bonuses, and force financial clawbacks, though it cannot directly fire the CEO.
With public patience exhausted and political pressure at a boiling point, the future of South East Water's leadership hangs in the balance as engineers continue the struggle to restore a basic essential to tens of thousands of households.
