David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, has resigned following severe supply failures that caused significant disruption to tens of thousands of customers. The company announced that Hinton will remain in his role temporarily to facilitate an orderly transition over the summer period. His departure comes after a period of intense criticism from customers and Members of Parliament.
South East Water stated that Hinton believes his position had become an increasing distraction from the company's primary objective: delivering a resilient water supply for its customers. The company's statement emphasized Hinton's priority is to ensure the delivery of a reliable water system.
In November and December of last year, approximately 24,000 properties across Kent and Sussex experienced a complete loss of water supply or significantly reduced water pressure. Just weeks later, further widespread issues impacted up to an additional 30,000 customers. These repeated failures led several MPs to publicly call for Hinton's resignation.
Hinton's exit was confirmed seven days after Chris Train, the chair of South East Water, resigned. Train stepped down in the wake of a highly critical report published by a parliamentary select committee.
The select committee's report, released on May 1st, delivered a scathing assessment of the company's operations. It accused the water company of poor leadership, weak governance structures, and a culture where accountability was lacking. The committee's findings highlighted significant deficiencies in how South East Water managed its responsibilities.
One of the most severe incidents occurred between November 29th and December 4th, when most of Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas suffered from low pressure or a complete absence of tap water. South East Water attributed this particular outage to a disinfection problem at the Pembury Water Treatment Works. Following this, residents in the affected areas were instructed to boil their tap water for nine consecutive days before consumption.
Further disruptions affected parts of Tunbridge Wells in January, alongside other areas including East Grinstead, Maidstone, and Canterbury. The company cited Storm Goretti and adverse cold weather conditions as the reasons for this subsequent outage. The regulator, Ofwat, is currently investigating South East Water over these incidents and is consulting on a potential £22 million fine for separate supply disruptions that occurred between 2020 and 2023.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate is also investigating the company, which serves customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire. Earlier findings from the Inspectorate regarding the November incident described it as "foreseeable and preventable," and blamed "longstanding weaknesses" in the company's management, monitoring, maintenance, and overall organizational preparedness.
In response to the recent incidents, South East Water has stated that it has initiated engineering works and implemented operational changes aimed at improving its service. The company is working to address the systemic issues that led to the widespread customer dissatisfaction and service failures.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds welcomed Hinton's resignation, stating that it "must mark the beginning of positive change" at South East Water. She emphasized the need for the company to prioritize customer needs and cease supply outages. Alistair Carmichael MP, who chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said the resignation was "obviously the right thing for him to have done."
Local MPs also reacted to the news. Mike Martin, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, told BBC Radio Kent that it was "good that Dave Hinton has done the right thing and resigned." East Grinstead and Uckfield MP Mims Davies called for a quick handover and a "feeling of change ASAP." Helen Whately, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, expressed frustration that it "took so long" for Hinton to resign.
Business owners affected by the outages shared their experiences. Tunbridge Wells butcher Richard Hards said it was "about time people take responsibility." He told the BBC he had to close his shop for approximately a week in November, resulting in thousands of pounds in lost revenue.
Alex Green, leader of the Tunbridge Wells Business Improvement District, urged the new leadership to implement measures that prevent future occurrences, stating "this just doesn't happen again." Care home manager Jason Denny highlighted the disproportionate impact on vulnerable individuals, noting that his facility with over 30 residents had to rely on 2,000 bottles of water daily during the supply issues. He added that vulnerable people were "disproportionately affected."
Murat Askin, who owns a cafe and bar in Tunbridge Wells, described the situation as "simply unacceptable" for residents to be left without basic essentials for days. He expressed happiness at Hinton's resignation, viewing it as a signal that customers now demand concrete action rather than mere apologies, stating, "I'm very happy to hear David Hinton has finally resigned. This sends a message that residents now want action, not just apologies."
