The CEO of “South East Water,” David Hinton, announced that the company relies heavily on individual facilities, following a six-day outage that affected approximately 24,000 homes in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
These homes reported an absence or drop in tap water pressure during the period from November 29 until water returned to most of them on December 4. Subsequently, residents were asked for nine consecutive days to boil their water before use.
The issue arose due to a problem involving a lack of disinfection at the Pembury water treatment works. South East Water stated that there is no evidence of water supply contamination.
Speaking to the BBC, Hinton added that the company is “heavily reliant on a single asset in some areas.”
Hinton had previously spoken to the BBC this week, mentioning that the company seeks to do “more than it is currently” at a separate water treatment facility located at Bewl Water, near Wadhurst in East Sussex. The company plans to spend £30 million to increase production capacity.
The CEO noted that this proposal would enable the company to “refill the Tunbridge Wells area quickly as soon as we notice any problem.” He added that this would allow for “additional resilience in case any of the other treatment facilities face other issues, without the need to draw more water from the reservoir.”
Hinton said, “The plan is not limited to Tunbridge Wells only, but also includes other areas in Kent,” pointing out that this comes amid ongoing calls for his resignation due to supply-related issues.
Hinton stated: “Things are not perfect, and they won’t be.”
South East Water was among five companies that appealed the price cap set by the regulator (Ofwat), which had already allowed it to increase the average annual bill from £232 to £274 by 2030.
The company and others argued that an average 36% increase in water prices for customers in England over the next five years was insufficient to improve infrastructure.
The Competition and Markets Authority has already agreed that South East Water can increase water prices by an additional 4%, subject to a final decision in 2026.
Hinton indicated that the “Bewl Water” plan is the reason the company requested the competition regulator to allow it to secure additional funds from customers.
Experts at South East Water are seeking to determine if the “water level” at the Pembury site contributed to the problem, expressing their desire to “conduct a thorough investigation.”
The company imposed hosepipe bans in July for its customers in Kent and Sussex following a drought that hit the region earlier in 2025.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate reported that it is investigating the incident in Tunbridge Wells related to the water supply interruption.
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