Summary

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WATCH: Starmer quizzed at PMQs over South East Water disruptions

  1. Our live coverage is now endingpublished at 18:58 GMT 14 January

    Our live coverage of the water supply issues which have been affecting residents and businesses in parts of Kent and Sussex is ending for the day.

    Thank you for joining us for our live feed.

    You can catch up on the latest information here.

  2. Water firm says it will 'fully co-operate' with any investigationpublished at 18:52 GMT 14 January
    Breaking

    South East Water (SEW) has said it will fully co-operate with any investigation amid the water supply disruption in Kent and Sussex.

    The government announced earlier it had requested the regulator, Ofwat, to review the water company's licence.

    The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) recently said it was investigating SEW over the ongoing supply issues in the counties.

    The water company is also currently subject to two other investigations by Ofwat and the DWI.

    An SEW spokesperson says: "The company will always fully co-operate with any investigation by our regulators and provide any information required."

  3. Hairdresser describes 'bedlam' over on and off supplypublished at 18:45 GMT 14 January

    Richard Dandy stands in his salon with products and towels behind him.
    Image caption,

    Richard Dandy said supply failures and uncertainty had been a challenge

    Richard Dandy, co-owner of Spires hairdressing in East Grinstead, says it has been “bedlam” dealing with the supply failures, particularly the uncertainty.

    He says he called clients last night to let them know their appointments would go ahead, arrived at work to see there was a supply, but at about 08:45 GMT it went off again.

    “You don’t appreciate how important it is until you haven’t got it. We are dependent on water, as we are electricity, but without water, we just can’t function," he adds.

    He says there have been burst pipes in the town before and on one occasion “the gentleman who was digging the hole said these pipes are as old as the houses, and the houses are about 200 years old”.

    On Tuesday, South East Water’s head of commercial development Nicola Higgins said the company had requested an additional £300m of funding to tackle its resilience issues.

  4. Ofwat to review evidence before taking decision on actionpublished at 18:32 GMT 14 January

    The government announced earlier it would ask the regulator, Ofwat, to review South East Water's licence.

    The BBC asked Ofwat if it would comment on this announcement, but it sent through a statement it has shared with us previously.

    It says: "We are concerned that residents in Kent and Sussex are without water again, and are working with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which is the lead regulator for this latest supply interruption, to ensure that regulation and enforcement is aligned.

    "Ofwat already has an active investigation into South East Water related to its supply resilience, and we have met with the company to discuss these latest incidents as part of that investigation.

    "We will review all of the evidence before taking a decision on what further action may be required into whether the company has met its legal obligations set out in its licence relating to customer care, including with further potential enforcement action."

  5. Don't even ask me about the loos, says mother-of-threepublished at 18:19 GMT 14 January

    Bernadette McCague

    A close-up photograph of Katherine Rose shows her smiling at the camera.Image source, Katherine Rose
    Image caption,

    Katherine Rose says there have been problems for years

    Parents are continuing to tell us about the difficulties they are facing during the water supply issues across Sussex and Kent.

    One mother-of-three says her family has been showering at other people's houses, while the washing for the family-of-five has been piling up after having little or no water since Monday.

    Katherine Rose, from Tunbridge Wells, says it had been "challenging" for everyone, including her 10-year-old twins and another child, aged eight.

    "Don’t even ask me about the loos, left festering," she says.

    She says there has been a "trickle" of water today, but they have been leaving for work and school with nothing out of the tap and returning to the same.

    Rose says there have been issues for the past four years - she believes the reservoir or water treatment plant serving the town must be "unfit for purpose".

    The BBC has contacted South East Water for comment.

  6. Can South East Water lose its licence?published at 18:10 GMT 14 January

    Earlier, the government announced it was taking the unusual step of asking the regulator Ofwat to review South East Water's licence.

    BBC South East's environment correspondent explains Ofwat can, in theory, strip the company of its licence.

    However, the threshold is incredibly high.

    She adds the government is obliged to give water companies at least 25 years' notice before it can terminate a licence.

  7. 'It's a hark back to lockdown'published at 17:52 GMT 14 January

    A bucket is filled up with water from a butt.Image source, Supplied

    One man tells us the water supply disruptions "hark back to lockdown" with his kids not at school.

    James Broad, from East Grinstead in West Sussex, tells the BBC: “We’re a family of five, hanging on in there with home learning and some coping strategies."

    He says his children "enjoy helping top up the storage tank in the loft for a bit of hot water... chipping in, helping doing washing up that’s normally handled by the dishwasher."

    He says the supply issues have allowed them to gain an "appreciation of how much water is required for baths, toilets, washing up, clothes washing and generally keeping sanitary", but says they are "still smiling".

  8. Consistent water supply from Friday, water firm sayspublished at 17:32 GMT 14 January
    Breaking

    Customers in Tunbridge Wells will wake up to a consistent water supply from Friday morning, South East Water says.

    The company says it has developed a new plan to restore water supply.

    However, the supply will be turned off for 6,500 customers in the Tunbridge Wells area and they will be without supplies until that point.

    A spokesman for the company tells us the firm is also launching its "largest ever operation" to deliver bottled water directly to customers affected from 17:30 GMT today and this will run through the night and into Thursday.

    Vulnerable customers are receiving bottled water directly and this will continue.

    It says "Grab bags" are also being delivered, which is "grey water" - not drinking water - to flush toilets.

    Two bottled water stations in the town are open and will remain open until 22:00 GMT, and a third bottled water station will open on Thursday at about midday in the town.

  9. Problems predominantly in rural areas - council leaderpublished at 17:27 GMT 14 January

    Stuart Jeffrey leans against a fence in the countrysideImage source, LDRS

    The head of Maidstone Borough Council, Stuart Jeffery, says water supply problems in his area are predominantly in rural places.

    "My heart goes out to everyone who is really struggling," he says in a video posted on X. He adds that the current bottled water station in Maidstone's Mote Park leisure centre is "not ideal" for people in the countryside.

    "We're working to try to persuade South East Water to get that water station closer to people's homes," Jeffery continues.

    But he adds: "The staff there are working their socks off. Be nice to them."

  10. We've made about 24,000 deliveries, water firm sayspublished at 17:12 GMT 14 January

    A woman in an orange jacket handles bottles of water.Image source, PA Media

    South East Water (SEW) tells the BBC it has made some 24,000 deliveries of bottled water to customers on its priority services register.

    The register is for people who need a "little extra help", which could be due to age, a health condition, a disability, or temporary change in situation, SEW says on its website.

    But one man - who has a spinal injury - told the BBC he had not had any deliveries of bottled water for days, despite being on the list.

  11. Key moments from todaypublished at 16:59 GMT 14 January

    If you are just joining us, here are the key moments from today's live feed on Kent and Sussex's water supply problems.

  12. Water back for 11,500 properties in West Sussex, firm sayspublished at 16:41 GMT 14 January

    A car and a van stopped on a road next to pallets of bottled water. The white car has its boot open and a person in a high-vis jacket is reaching into the boot.Image source, Getty Images

    In its latest update, South East Water is saying affected properties in East Grinstead should expect to get their water back today.

    "Water supplies have returned to 11,500 properties in East Grinstead, a further 2,500 are returning to supply this afternoon with the remaining 2,500 later today," says incident manager Matthew Dean.

    The company had said this morning that supplies would come back today, before later saying the West Sussex town would get water back "by tomorrow morning".

  13. Can I get compensation?published at 16:29 GMT 14 January

    Many people have been asking if they can get compensation for the water supply disruptions.

    The short answer is yes, but there are conditions.

    South East Water says its customers who have no mains supply are entitled to £50 for each continuous 12-hour period.

    Its adds that this compensation should be paid automatically.

    Customers are also entitled to a £40 late payment penalty.

  14. Government to ask Ofwat to review water firm's licencepublished at 16:05 GMT 14 January
    Breaking

    Michael Keohan
    BBC Kent political reporter

    Emma Reynolds talks to BBC reporter at Tunbridge Wells water stationImage source, Chrissie Reidy/BBC

    The government is taking the unusual step of asking the regulator, Ofwat, to review the licence of South East Water (SEW).

    The announcement has just been made by Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds at a bottled water station in Tunbridge Wells.

    SEW has been approached for a comment.

  15. Tunbridge Wells properties lose supply againpublished at 15:47 GMT 14 January
    Breaking

    South East Water said earlier that it had returned water to 6,500 properties in Tunbridge Wells but that they may lose supply later on Wednesday.

    The company has confirmed those homes and businesses "have lost supplies for today after the water levels in the area’s drinking water storage tanks dropped below the level the boosters can run".

  16. Senior minister visits bottled water stationpublished at 15:39 GMT 14 January

    Four people talking while wearing orange high-vis jackets. Cars and large pallets of water can be seen behind them.Image source, Michael Keohan/BBC

    Environment secretary Emma Reynolds visits a bottled water station in Tunbridge Wells.

    Two people carrying cases of water and stood beside a large pallet of bottles. Cars can be seen behind them, as can multiple pallets in a curtained lorry trailer.Image source, Michael Keohan/BBC

    Reynolds hands out bottles alongside Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin.

    A woman carries a case of bottled water beside pallets of bottles towards the open door on the back of a small, white van. A man is stood at the back of the van. Both people are wearing high-vis jackets.

    The visit follows the prime minister saying the situation for South East Water customers is "clearly totally unacceptable".

  17. South East Water reports 18 'disruptions' on its websitepublished at 15:17 GMT 14 January

    A woman holds some plastic bottles in the rain.Image source, PA Media

    There are currently 18 "ongoing interruptions" on South East Water's (SEW) network, according to its website.

    Multiple areas across West and East Sussex, Surrey and Kent are affected by issues with water supplies - having either no water or an intermittent supply.

    A majority of these disruptions are due to burst water mains, says the company.

  18. The UK's struggling water industrypublished at 14:53 GMT 14 January

    Two running taps into a basin full of water

    The problems South East Water (SEW) is facing are not isolated within the UK's water industry.

    Water companies across England and Wales are privatised, whereas in Scotland and Northern Ireland they are publicly owned.

    In England and Wales, the governments are in charge of setting the water policy and framework for the companies.

    In October last year, water companies in England and Wales were ordered to refund more than £260m to customers based on poor performance.

    It came after a spike in serious pollution incidents.

    In its annual rating system, the Environment Agency gave England's water companies their worst ever combined marks for their environmental performance in 2024.

    And in a landmark review into the sector, released in July 2025, the government scrapped the various regulators in England in charge of monitoring performance, and said instead it would go forward with one combined regulator.

  19. Water issues: Are you without water where you live?published at 14:24 GMT 14 January

    Water issues: If you are without water where you live we'd love to hear from you.

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  20. Campsite pays for tanker to offer free refills and showerspublished at 14:11 GMT 14 January

    A Google Street image of a blue sign which says "Blackland Farm" on it.Image source, Google

    Blackland Farm Outdoor Centre in East Grinstead says it has paid for a water tanker to fill its tank so it can continue to offer people hot showers and refills.

    "There’s no charge - just come along if you need to wash, shower, or top up containers," a spokesperson adds.

    The campsite is open until 16:30 GMT today and has been offering help all week.