Water firm 'flying blind' before water supply crisis, regulator says

The Drinking Water Inspectorate told MPs that South East Water lacked electronic monitoring and other operational visibility for weeks before a water-quality problem left about 24,000 properties without reliable supply and prompted a nine-day boil-water notice.

South East Water experienced a water quality problem at Pembury Water Treatment Works that produced supply interruptions across parts of Kent and East Sussex. Around 24,000 properties in Tunbridge Wells, Pembury, Eridge and Frant lost supply or pressure for days, and a boil-water notice was in place for nine days after supplies returned. The Drinking Water Inspectorate told MPs that the company had been operating without electronic monitoring and lacked critical visibility in the weeks before the emergency was declared. The company's chief executive apologised and described the incident as a failure. Key facts: - About 24,000 properties experienced loss of supply or reduced pressure following a water quality issue at Pembury Water Treatment Works. - The regulator reported inadequate monitoring and operational weaknesses, saying the company had no electronic collection of key treatment data and relied on manual interventions. - South East Water's chief executive apologised, admitted the event was a failure, and said the company is committed to learning from it. - The local business improvement district estimated large revenue losses; the company did not accept that figure and has set aside £2.5m for business compensation. - The company plans an upgrade to Bewl Water Treatment Works to provide an alternative supply, with work expected to finish by 2028. Summary: Regulators told MPs that lack of monitoring and other operational shortcomings preceded the outage, which left thousands without reliable water and led to a nine-day boil-water notice. The company has apologised and outlined plans to improve resilience, including an upgrade scheduled for completion in 2028. Undetermined at this time.