House of Commons · Urgent Question
12 January 2026 · 10 other contributors
Opened by Mims Davies Con East Grinstead and Uckfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Mims Davies raised concerns about water supplies east grinstead 2026-01-12 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
Key points
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Will the Minister confirm the support for people affected by the ongoing interruption to water supplies in East Grinstead and the surrounding villages, with more than 16,000 households impacted due to burst pipes, poor communication from South East Water, and significant disruption to daily life including health issues, businesses closures, and educational institutions?
Question
What penalties or sanctions will the water company face, and what level of compensation will affected households receive? Does South East Water urgently need new leadership to address emergencies properly and restore confidence in their service?
Minister reply
The Minister agrees with Mims Davies regarding the need for better communication and penalties; South East Water is under investigation by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and Ofwat representatives are being asked to review whether they meet obligations. The Government aims to set resilience standards through proactive maintenance systems.
Question
What measures will the Government take to ensure water companies learn from past incidents, such as providing more water stations and addressing hygiene issues in prolonged outages?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges lessons not being learned by companies; investigations into recent issues will inform future White Paper considerations on necessary powers.
Question
When can households expect service restoration, and what measures are in place to ensure adequate supplies for vulnerable households, schools, GP surgeries, hospitals, farmers, and horse owners?
Minister reply
Service restoration timelines remain unclear; compensation doubled with focus on proactive maintenance. Resilience standards aim to prevent system failures.
Question
Given that over 16,500 residents have been impacted by water outages and this is a recurring issue, does the Minister agree with the Liberal Democrats' view that South East Water's CEO's continued tenure is untenable? Will the Government commit to an independent investigation into the company’s operational resilience, governance, and crisis management?
Minister reply
I completely share the frustration regarding the repeated water outages. I have met with Ofwat to discuss performance issues at South East Water and will ask them if they believe the company has met its obligations towards customers. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is investigating the current situation in Tunbridge Wells, which includes looking into bottled water supply and communication efforts.
Question
Given the repeated outages affecting 6,500 houses and schools closures, does the Minister lack confidence in South East Water's CEO, considering his past performance and the company’s apparent failure to provide adequate water supply?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising these concerns. While I agree there are significant issues with South East Water’s leadership and management, my priority now is restoring water supplies to affected areas as soon as possible.
Question
Considering the poor response by South East Water in delivering bottled water to vulnerable people, failing livestock owners for animal welfare needs, and overall negligence in handling outages, will the Minister use her powers to force a leadership change at South East Water to appoint someone more capable?
Minister reply
South East Water has a statutory duty to provide water and support during supply outages. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is investigating these issues, including failings in providing water to vulnerable customers. I will raise specific concerns about animal welfare directly with the company once we are through this latest crisis.
Question
With multiple villages and a hospital out of supply, can the Minister look into a duty for water authorities to cooperate better in moving water across regions to prevent end-of-pipeline areas like Mid Sussex from being cut off during crises?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady is correct about the need for greater resilience in our water infrastructure. I agree that current regulatory frameworks do not allow easy movement of water between companies, which needs addressing through upcoming reforms and changes.
Question
Given the inadequate communication from South East Water during outages, will the Minister agree that serious changes must be made at the company, including removing its CEO, David Hinton, for failing to meet basic customer service expectations?
Minister reply
I completely understand and share the hon. Lady’s outrage over poor communication and response times. Ofwat and the Drinking Water Inspectorate are investigating these matters thoroughly.
Question
My constituents in Headcorn, Staplehurst, Coxheath and surrounding villages had no running water over the weekend. Poor communication from South East Water exacerbated their situation as they could not get accurate information about bottled water stations.
Minister reply
I completely agree with your concerns regarding poor communication during this crisis. The Drinking Water Inspectorate will investigate these issues, and I hope Ofwat will also consider them in their oversight of the company.
Government Response
I update the House on ongoing water supply disruption across southern England. We hold South East Water accountable, demanding they restore supply as their priority while providing proper compensation to affected residents. Customers are suffering due to under-investment in infrastructure; the Government will address this through reforms including stronger maintenance rules and £104 billion of private investment for upgrades. The Minister acknowledges repeated failures by South East Water over recent years necessitating new leadership capable of addressing emergencies properly.