Sussex

Sussex, a county in South East England, is currently newsworthy due to a major water outage affecting residents across the region, along with neighboring Kent. The disruption, impacting approximately 30,000 homes, has lasted for up to a week and was triggered by Storm Goretti, which caused burst pipes and power cuts. The severity of the situation led to the declaration of a major incident, forcing schools, libraries, and even hospitals like the Queen Victoria in East Grinstead to close or modify operations. The water company responsible, South East Water (SEW), is facing potential repercussions, including a review of its operating license by the regulator, Ofwat, potentially leading to special administration if deemed to have breached regulations. While water has been restored to most homes, the incident has raised serious concerns about SEW's infrastructure and its ability to handle extreme weather events, prompting calls for greater accountability and investment in water infrastructure.