The water regulator Ofwat has launched a formal probe that could see South East Water become the first supplier to have its licence revoked for failing customers, as tens of thousands of properties in Kent and Sussex endure a sixth consecutive day without reliable drinking water.
Regulatory Hammer Looms Over "Miserable" Failures
Ofwat confirmed it is investigating whether South East Water (SEW) has breached its licence conditions by not meeting its customer service obligations. This investigation runs parallel to an existing probe into the company's supply resilience, initiated after widespread outages in November and December.
Lynn Parker, Ofwat's senior director for enforcement, stated the last six weeks have been "miserable for businesses and households" across the region, with severe disruption to daily life and commerce, especially before Christmas. If found guilty of the breaches, SEW could face the ultimate sanction of licence revocation.
Communities in Chaos as Mixed Messages Flow
The current crisis, which SEW blames on burst pipes and power cuts caused by Storm Goretti, has left residents frustrated and confused. Many report receiving contradictory information, with some told schools would remain shut until Monday, while others were promised a resolution by Friday.
One local, speaking to the BBC's Today programme, described an "unsettling" situation where her daughter missed school and she had to take time off work. The resident detailed over a week of intermittent supply, with water pressure so low that showers were barely possible, forcing nightly trips to bottled water stations, which sometimes ran out.
Bottled water stations remain operational in Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, and Maidstone, with several schools across the two counties forced to close due to the lack of water.
Political Pressure Mounts on Water Bosses
The mounting crisis has triggered significant political backlash. Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticised some water bosses for appearing "like they're working from home," contrasting them with more hands-on executives. He emphasised the need for a rapid response to support families.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer revealed that ministers are holding emergency daily meetings over the ongoing outage. Meanwhile, Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin and other parliamentarians have repeatedly called for SEW Chief Executive David Hinton to resign.
Mr Hinton and SEW Chairman Chris Train have been recalled to face further scrutiny by the Parliamentary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael said MPs were "deeply sceptical" of the company's explanations and accused it of being "determined to find anyone else to blame but themselves."
The situation echoes the prolonged outage in Tunbridge Wells last November and December, where around 24,000 properties were left without drinkable water for nearly two weeks, for which Mr Hinton was grilled by MPs last week.
