Ofwat launches investigation into South East Water
Following repeated water supply failures across Kent and Sussex, Regulator Ofwat has opened an inquiry into South East Water. During the outbreak, no water was available, and thousands of people were still affected on Thursday. Ofwat will investigate whether the water company has met high customer service and support as a result of its licence. South East Water said that it would "fully cooperate with any inquiry by regulators and provide any information as required.
Lynn Parker, Ofwat's senior director of enforcement, said the last six weeks had been miserable
for those affected.
she said. Ofwat said that if a licence condition had been breached, it would take enforcement action to guarantee compliance, which may include fineing South East Water up to 10% of its turnover.We know that this has had a massive influence on daily life and businesses, particularly in the run-up to the holiday season,
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the situation completely intolerable
on Wednesday, and the government later ordered Ofwat to investigate the company's licence. Customers were
according to Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water.feeling anxious and uncertain every time they turn on the tap,
he said. SinceUndermining this probe gives the message not only to South East Water but also to all water providers that how you treat people in cases of disruption,
customers are impatient for change,Keil requested that the probe be carried out "swiftly. Ofwat and the Drinking Water Inspectorate have two separate probes into earlier supply disruptions in South East Water.
Siobhan Bales, a resident of Tunbridge Wells, toldBBC Radio Kenther water issues began last Wednesday.
she said. "I've recently updated my electricity supplier, but you can't change your water company.It's amazing that this has gone on for so long, and it's happened again,
Several schools have been asked to close due to water supply problems. The Kent Academy in Tunbridge Wells, according to Skinners, would remain closed for the remainder of the week. The head teacher blaming
in a letter to parents.an exhausting cycle of events made more difficult by a lack of contact
they said. Businesses have had to close or reduce trading, with one restaurant owner telling the BBC that due to the outage, one restauranteur told the BBC he was losing £1,000 per day.I have no confidence that the information being sent is accurate and want to have a small amount of consistency for all,
Recent issues
MPs grilled South East Water chief executive David Hinton for his company's handling of supply disruptions in November and December. Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the Parliamentary Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Committee, said he and his colleagues were deeply skeptical
about the company's interpretation of events. Hinton and Chairman Chris Train have been asked by the committee to submit further evidence to the committee. Several MPs have asked Hinton, who received a £400,000 salary and received fewer last year, to resign. Mims Davies, MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield, told BBC Radio Sussex that he had lost the room. Hinton was
absolutely working as hard as everyone else behind the scenes,
wake to a consistent supply of wateraccording to South East Water. Water had been restored to all of East Grinstead's 16,500 homes on Thursday morning, according to incident manager Matthew Dean. According to him, supplies had been restored to about 2,000 homes in the Loose and Coxheath areas. The company later announced that problems affecting approximately 2,000 people in Tonbridge and nearby villages had been solved. According to the company, some 6,500 residents in Tunbridge Wells should
around the clock to address the issues. Customers on the company's priority services registry have been sent bottles of water, medical conditions, or disabilities. On Thursday, the company was set to open four bottled water stations at East Grinstead Sports Club, Tunbridge Wells Rugby Club, Odeon Cinema in Tunbridge Towns, and Mote Park Leisure Centre in Maidstone. Follow BBC Sussex onFacebook, onX, and onInstagram. We're at 08081 002250, so give us your story ideas [social media reacted] us on 08on Friday. Storm Goretti and a power outage at one of its pumping plants were among the supply disruptions blamed on the company's pumping plant's earlier. According to the company, it had been
