South East Water staff 'disheartened' after abuse

Frontline South East Water workers have been left "really disheartened" after facing abuse from irate customers, according to a union.

The beleaguered company set up bottled water stations across Kent and Sussex after taps ran dry for several days at tens of thousands of homes in January.

Jo Galloway, UNISON's South East regional secretary, said a small, "very, very angry" minority had turned on staff there.

South East Water told the BBC safety and well-being are its "number one priority".

"We do not tolerate any abuse of our employees in any form and will report these to the authorities as appropriate," it added.

"No frontline worker should ever experience abuse when they're just doing their job," said Galloway.

"Particularly when it is not their fault," she told BBC Radio Sussex.

Galloway said some South East Water staff were not given waterproof or protective clothing despite working in the wind and rain.

"They were out there in really rough weather, handing out and delivering water to the elderly and vulnerable."

She added there also were not toilets for some workers.

Although they are paid South East Water employees, she said many staff at the bottled water stations had volunteered to be there instead of at their usual workplace.

"Some of them drove hundreds of miles every day to stand outside from 8am to 10pm."

"A lot of them are not going to volunteer in the future," Galloway added.

• Where did it all go wrong for South East Water?

South East Water said: "We work hard to provide the best working conditions possible for our teams and contractors in what can be challenging circumstances."

"This includes welfare units at bottled water stations and relevant personal protective equipment.

"We advise staff to wear suitable clothing for the conditions," it continued.

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