South East Water faces £22m fine for supply failures

South East Water is facing a £22m fine by the industry regulator for "multiple supply disruptions" which caused residents in Kent and Sussex "immense stress and anxiety".

Ofwat said company failures left it unable to cope during periods of high demand or extreme weather, leaving customers with no tap water, unable to shower or bathe or flush their toilets.

The proposed fine applies to problems during 2020 and 2023 and does not cover more recent incidents.

Last December up to 16,000 homes went without water for almost a week, while in January about 30,000 properties faced issues.

Ofwat said more than 286,000 people were affected by supply problems over the three-year period.

An investigation by the watchdog found that South East Water failed to plan sufficiently, learn from incidents – such as the so-called Beast from the East wave of cold weather in early 2018 - and conduct analysis to discover the root causes of the problems.

Ofwat also said the company failed to maintain key infrastructure such as service reservoirs, boreholes and major pipes.

"All of these issues left the system more likely to fail during prolonged dry periods or freeze thaw events as we have seen in Kent and Sussex on multiple occasions," said Ofwat.

South East Water has been contacted for comment.