'Armageddon' as water issues hit 30,000 properties

Tens of thousands of people in Sussex and Kent have been hit by water supply problems, with one affected customer likening the situation to "Armageddon".

South East Water (SEW) said a number of issues were to blame, including Storm Goretti and cold weather, adding it was doing all it could to restore supplies.

Some 30,000 properties across Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, Maidstone, Whitstable, Canterbury, and surrounding towns were without water, faced low pressure or had intermittent supplies.

A source told the BBC that the government was to call on Ofwat to investigate SEW.

The source added that the government's confidence in the leadership of the water company was "waning".

• As it happened: Thousands of households without water in South East

Meanwhile, water minister Emma Hardy said she had met with Ofwat to "discuss her concerns" about the company's performance issues.

"I've asked Ofwat to investigate whether or not SEW is meeting its obligations in serving its customers," she said.

Several MPs have urged SEW boss David Hinton, who earns a base salary of £400,000 and got a £115,000 bonus in 2025, to step down or to be removed from his role.

Hotels, pubs and restaurants told the BBC outages had hit their businesses hard with some forced to close.

"This is taking Dry January to a whole new level", said Charmain Powell, who runs the Portobello Inn in Sevenoaks, Kent.

"We really need as much trade as possible this time of year and having to turn customers away is hard.

"But it's just not possible to operate without water."

Sarah Wilmot, an affected shop owner in East Grinstead, told the BBC she could not open on Monday due to the supply issues.

"It's a bit like Armageddon," she said.

Stuart Jeffery, leader of Maidstone Borough Council, has subsequently called for water companies to be brought back under state control.

"It is quite clear that our water companies are failing the public and the environment," he said.

"They need to be renationalised urgently and invested in properly."

Water Minister Emma Hardy said she was "very concerned" about the latest supply disruption.

"This is entirely unacceptable," she added.

Hardy said she did not expect the situation to be resolved in the next 24 hours.

She said the government had increased compensation amounts for affected customers and businesses

It was also "prioritising investment in infrastructure to improve the resilience of our water system," Hardy continued.

A government source told BBC South East it had been "shocked by the lack of accountability" shown by the company.

Officials were also particularly unimpressed by SEW's communications with customers, they added.

Eileen, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, told BBC Radio Kent that she had been having issues since Tuesday.

"I'm finding it a nightmare, and I live alone. I don't know how people with families get on. It's so unhygienic.

"I'm getting bottled water delivered, but I'm sick of the sight of these bottles.

"I just want water in the tap. Is that too much to ask?"

Krys O'Brien, from East Grinstead, told BBC Radio Sussex: "It's been a miserable weekend.

"We've had very intermittent messages from South East Water on the website," she said.

"We don't know when it's going to come back properly."

Heather Pratt in Forest Row said her water returned on Monday morning after being cut off on Saturday.

"To use Storm Guretti as an excuse I find very flimsy," she said.

Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran wrote on X that a "major incident" had been declared.

She added that the local authority was "putting additional arrangements in place to prepare for further potential disruption."

Several schools in Kent and Sussex were closed on Monday because of the lack of water, along with the public libraries in East Grinstead.

The Queen Victoria Hospital in the town said some appointments may have to be carried out virtually.

SEW incident manager Matthew Dean said bottled water was being delivered to customers on its priority services register, alongside care homes, schools and medical care providers.

"We are also supporting hospitals with tankers and providing bottled water," he added.

SEW chief Hinton was recently questioned by MPs about his handling of a separate disruption in the run-up to Christmas, where 24,000 customers in Kent and East Sussex were left without water for several days.

The chairman of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael, later questioned the "accuracy and intent" of Hinton's evidence.

He called Hinton's position "untenable".

SEW water said bottled water stations will be open until 22:00 GMT at:

• Kings Centre - Moat Rd, East Grinstead RH19 3LN
• East Grinstead Sports Club - Saint Hill Rd, East Grinstead RH19 4JU
• East Court, College Lane, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3LT
• Tunbridge Wells Rugby Club, Frant Road, TN2 5LS

The one at Headcorn Aerodrome has now closed.

Some stations ran out of supplies with people reporting hour-long queues.

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