Thousands of people in Kent and Sussex are still without water, as the drinking water regulator launches an investigation into South East Water
The water supplier says it's "incredibly sorry" and tells the BBC that Sussex should see supplies back on Tuesday or Wednesday, but can't give a timeline for customers in Tunbridge Wells
One mum explains how it's been an additional challenge for her 11-year-old autistic son who has found the situation difficult to adapt to
Issues became widespread on Saturday, with the company blaming recent cold weather and a power cut at its pumping plant
South East Water bosses will also be recalled to Parliament for a second round of questioning by MPs
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The MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, has urged the owners of South East Water (SEW) to intervene.
"SEW is in crisis," he writes in a letter published on Facebook. "Vulnerable people, care homes and GP surgeries have no water."
"SEW's response has been unacceptable, but the situation has been made worse by the lack of candour displayed by its leaders."
The Liberal Democrat politician adds that "quite clearly corporate governance has broken down".
"We are now in a situation where a major public utility is out of control".
Addressing the company's owners, which he says includes the bank NatWest, Martin says: "You own this company and therefore are accountable for its actions".
NatWest tells the BBC it was "extremely concerned by the impact these incidents are having on the households, businesses and other users who rely on SEW for water services.
"In the short term, the immediate priority for the company’s management team needs to be putting customers first, with SEW restoring and stabilising services as soon as possible."
The bank adds it will use its "influence as a minority shareholder to direct SEW’s board to ensure these issues are fully resolved."
Thousands of people have visited East Grinstead Sports Centre in the past few days - but not to make good on new year's resolutions of getting fit and healthy.
Instead, they've been collecting packs of bottled water from the car park, which the managing director says has destroyed the terrain.
Michael Hough says: "Having had thousands of cars come through over the last two or three days, plus all the articulated lorries, the driveway has been ripped up. That's going to have to be addressed."
The leisure centre has been closed because of the supply problems, but Hough says he is hoping to reopen shortly.
Image source, Getty ImagesKent County Council says it is willing to work with South East Water (SEW) to deliver the levels of service customers deserve - but only if the company's chief executive resigns.
The leader of the Reform-UK led council,Linden Kemkaren, has written to the chairman and board members of the water firm, criticising its "systemic and repeated failures" under the leadership of David Hinton.
Kemkaren says: "Kent residents, communities and businesses should not have to foot the bill for these failures or live under the continuing risk of further outages from an organisation that has demonstrated an inability to deliver on its core responsibilities."
She says the process of finding a permanent solution to the problems "must begin with accountability at the highest level and a significant change in approach and to the leadership".
"Kent has suffered one too many water outages and I’m afraid that heads must roll," she adds on social media.
A call from Nigel Farage for Hinton to resign came in support of Kemkaren's letter earlier today.
Fiona Irving
BBC South East
People in the South East will be keenly aware this week that they don’t get a choice of water provider. South East Water customers have to rely on regulators and the government to make the system better.
Currently, two of those regulators are carrying out investigations into the water company.
Before Christmas, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) announced an investigation into last year's outage in Tunbridge Wells, and in November, 2023, Ofwat launched an investigation into SEW’s supply resilience - but, more than two years on, Ofwat still hasn’t reported back on that.
Ofwat says part of its investigation will be looking into whether the company has “met its legal obligations set out in its licence.” However, Ofwat can impose fines and the DWI can carry out prosecutions.
So can Ofwat take that licence away? Yes, in theory, but the threshold for that is incredibly high and the government is obliged to give water companies at least 25 years' notice before it can terminate a licence.
Kerena Cobbina
Live reporter
Image source, Vikki ChalkeAs well as collecting bottled water from distribution points, some Kent locals have used water butts and buckets to collect supplies.
Vikki Chalke says battling the queue for collecting water “certainly had an apocalyptic vibe” and “begs the question how this country would cope with a true catastrophe".
Meanwhile, she's been redirecting water from the gutter into an old kitchen bin, which she's been using to flush the toilet - leaving bottled water for sponge baths, washing up, brushing teeth, and water for pets.
Vikki came up with the idea after watching her dog go to a bucket in the garden to drink.
She says: “It dawned on me I could line up the few buckets I had to start gathering more for flushing!”
She's still got to drive out to a launderette to clean her uniform for work, but the added water helps a lot.
However, she says: “My heart goes out to large families with young kids; it must be impossible.”
Image source, Getty ImagesIf you're just joining us, an investigation has been launched by the Drinking Water Inspectorate into South East Water (SEW) over the supply disruption in Kent and Sussex.
Thousands of properties remain without water, or an intermittent supply - but service has been brought back in Maidstone and Canterbury.
Some schools in Sussex and Kent have had to close, and on Monday some hospital appointments were moved online.
SEW was unable to confirm "specific figures" for people without water, but said that about 6,500 customers in Tunbridge Wells and a further 2,500 in Headcorn and Hollingbourne were still being affected.
We've been speaking to residents and local politicians who are frustrated with SEW. Some have called for the resignation of its CEO, David Hinton. That's following even more disruption to services in November and December last year.
The chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has also said it's "increasingly concerned" by the company's management and have recalled SEW boss Hinton to parliament.
SEW says it's "doing all we can" to restore supplies and that it's "incredibly sorry" to all customers and businesses affected.
Michael Keohan
BBC Kent political reporter
Image source, PA MediaNigel Farage has told the BBC he wants South East Water's (SEW) chief executive to step down.
"Dave Hinton has presided over a culture of failure at South East Water for too long," says the Reform UK leader, whose party controls Kent County Council. "It's time he took responsibility and resigned."
Hinton - who earns a base salary of £400,000 and got a £115,000 bonus for his work at SEW last year - previously told the BBC he wanted to stay in his role as he "feels customer's pain".
Hinton's comments came after a separate water supply issue that hit up to 24,000 properties in the Tunbridge Wells area in the run-up to Christmas.
Several MPs from across the political spectrum have also called for Hinton's resignation in recent days.
Helen Grant, the Conservative MP for Maidstone and Malling, has said the water company must not be allowed to "get away" with their handling of the latest water crisis.
She co-signed a letter to the chief of the water regulator, Ofwat, calling for the removal of Hinton from his role, along with Mid Kent MP Helen Whately, East Grinstead MP Mims Davies, Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield, Weald of Kent MP Katie Lam, and Tunbridge Wells MP Tom Tugendhat.
Elliot Burrin
Live reporter
Image source, Lottie BerryLottie, who lives in an affected area, has an 11-year-old son, Josh, who is autistic and non-speaking.
He often struggles with changes and transitions - so it was a shock when he woke up for his first day back at school after Christmas, and found that water issues meant he'd have to stay at home.
"Autism is about routine," Lottie tells me.
His school has opened again, but Lottie says "he kept coming up to me, going 'no school', because he associates now if the taps aren't working that there's no school!"
Image source, Lottie BerryJosh uses a speech device to communicate. Here, he's written 'Josh no school day water broken'
There's the added challenge that Josh doesn't understand why the water has gone, or why it's only running sometimes.
"He's been tipping water bottles down the sink because he doesn't understand," she says - particularly if there's water in the morning but none left by the time he comes home.
It's an "extra layer of challenge", she tells me, but they're working to overcome it.
They've even added the word "tanker" to his iPad, to help him talk about the situation.
South East Water has asked for an extra £300m of funding to help it improve, the company's head of commercial development says.
"We do have plans to improve the resilience of our system We do have challenges that are playing out as we can see now," Nicola Higgins tells the BBC.
"We've requested an additional £300m worth of funding through the business planning process and this will help us to address the problems that we are encountering now.”
Image source, Lance MilesOne man has told the BBC he has cancelled his direct debit to South East Water (SEW) over its latest supply failures.
Lance Miles, from Tunbridge Wells, says he has not had running water in his flat for days.
The 66-year-old, who is recovering from a spinal injury and recently had pneumonia, adds he has not had any deliveries of bottled water despite being on SEW's priority services register for vulnerable customers.
"This is unbelievable," he tells the BBC. "I am in a desperate, desperate situation."
Miles says he was not able to wash his clothes or bedding while he was feverish and is still healing from his injury.
"I am at an all time low," he adds. "My mental health is suffering."
Water companies can add late fees and take court action if people do not pay their bills.
Ignoring a county court judgement can potentially lead to seizure of goods to cover the debt, and can affect your ability to get credit and your benefit payments.
SEW said earlier it was delivering to customers on its priority services register "who are most in need". The BBC has approached the company for comment.
Elliot Burrin
Live reporter
Image source, Alex RickettsYesterday, I spoke to residents in Blean, a village just outside Canterbury in Kent. Some houses had been without water for several days - but local councillor Alex Ricketts says mains supply returned in most parts this morning.
The community are expressing "relief and anger," he says, as South East Water did not set up a water station in the Canterbury area.
He says local parish councils brought water to distribute to vulnerable residents and "the community really pulled together" to support each other, offering their houses to those without water and sandbags to people affected by burst pipes.
Charlie Martell is a business-owner and residential landlord in East Grinstead.
He says they have managed to stay open with water from a collection station and staff bringing supplies from home.
But he says: "It's quite hard. It makes you realise how much you rely on having water, as soon as it's gone."
Asked for his message to South East Water, Martell said: "Get your act together and get the water back on!"
Image source, Getty ImagesChair of the Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says it has taken an "unprecedented" step to recall South East Water boss Dave Hinton to Parliament.
Alistair Carmichael, chair of the committee, says he is "increasingly concerned" by the company's management.
In a letter to the committee, SEW's chair, Chris Train, says the company is focussed on ensuring the necessary steps are taken to "fully understand the cause of the event, examine our response and identify any lessons for the future".
He says a "rapid in-depth" review has been commissioned with a deadline of April 2026.
"Once completed, relevant conclusions and actions will be shared with all of our stakeholders, including, as a matter of utmost priority, the committee," Train adds.
Carmichael says he remains "deeply sceptical about the company’s version of events to date, and its board’s track record of holding the company to account".
"We would be failing in our duty if we now allowed them without challenge to mark their own homework, let alone on a timescale that will add months to the process," he says.
Adam Dowling
BBC Radio Kent
We have just heard from South East Water's head of commercial development, Nicola Higgins.
While Sussex should see water supplies back on Tuesday or Wednesday, she says she cannot make the same commitment for affected customers in Tunbridge Wells.
"We have other specific issues we are dealing with within the Tunbridge Wells area," says Higgins.
But she adds: "There is a plan."
"I don't necessarily have a target date at the moment but we'll be communicating that with customers when it's agreed."
When asked if it could be days, Higgins says she "will have to confirm that once the plan is agreed".
Charles Granville and his wife work with carers to look after his mother-in-law, who is 105 years old.
"My wife and I have been living with her for the last year and a half, but of course, lack of water is a problem, as it is for everyone," Granville says.
"I don't think we've had a text or an email from South East Water, but we have had some supplies of water delivered, but it's been inconsistent. Some days it hasn't come at all. My wife has had to go into town, as everyone else has, to collect water."
Granville says the deliveries which arrive, combined with his wife's trips to the supermarket, mean the family has "sufficient water to survive".
"We've also used a water butt, we've been collecting water from that in a bucket, bringing it into the house and warming it up so we've been able to do a bit of washing, cleaning," he says.
"It's a bit third world but we are coping.
"We're told that the bad weather has caused the problems but actually the weather hasn't been that bad at all. It's very surprising that in this day and age, a water company cannot provide a basic service of water."
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has launched an investigation into South East Water over the supply disruption in Kent and Sussex.
It says it will look into "the circumstances leading up to the loss of supply, the actions taken by the company during the event, and its communications with consumers".
The DWI says it will take appropriate enforcement action where required to "protect public health and to plan and prepare for loss of supply incidents".
Image source, Getty ImagesThe ongoing water issues in the area covered by South East Water (SEW) come after 24,000 properties in Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Eridge and Frant lost supply or pressure for days in November and December.
The last disruption was due to a "water quality issue" at SEW's Pembury Water Treatment Works. Here's how things unfolded:
"No toilet, no showers, no cooking, no laundry, no nothing, it's ridiculous."
That's the verdict from East Grinstead resident Robert Widmann, who has had no water for five days.
"It's totally unacceptable, this is like a third world country, and every time you get a message from South East Water it's a different excuse," Widmann says.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life, the amount of people who are suffering because of this. It's atrocious."
As a reminder, South East Water says it's doing "everything we can to support people".
Nicola Higgins, head of commercial development at South East Water (SEW), spoke to BBC Radio Kent earlier and was asked about the number of people in the county still out of water.
She described it as "an improving situation," adding that SEW had "returned supplies to the wider Tunbridge Wells area".
Higgins was pressed on the number of people without water - rather than with - to which she said SEW still had issues in Tunbridge Wells, where 6,500 customers were still affected.
Pressed further on other areas, Higgins said she did not have "specific figures for Headcorn and Hollingbourne, I'm afraid, but I believe that's another 2,500 in that area".
She then had to be asked specifically about other areas in turn.
Customers in Maidstone and Canterbury have been "brought back" and have access to water, she said.
Looking ahead, Higgins said SEW was "targeting" that by Wednesday, water would return. Pressed further on the exact timing, she said "sometime tomorrow".
She added: "We apologise profusely. This isn't the level of service that we would like to provide, but we are working around the clock to address these issues and will continue to do so".
