South East Water

South East Water (SEW) is a water supplier serving Kent and Sussex. The company is currently facing significant scrutiny due to a series of recent water outages affecting tens of thousands of homes. These outages, impacting areas like Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, and Maidstone, have left residents without water for extended periods, sometimes up to a week or more. Causes have ranged from Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts, cold weather leading to burst mains, a failure at the Pembury water treatment centre (which regulators say was foreseeable), and even the accidental addition of incorrect chemicals to the water supply. The severity of the disruptions has led to school closures, hospital appointment cancellations, and a declaration of a major incident. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has called for a review of SEW's operating license, potentially leading to the company falling into special administration if Ofwat determines breaches have occurred. The company has also been criticized for prioritizing dividends and debt servicing over infrastructure investment.