Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

South East Water

17 January 2023 · 3 other contributors · 4,280 words

Opened by Greg Clark Con Tunbridge Wells

Responding minister: Rebecca Pow

NHSEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Greg Clark raised concerns about south east water in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • MP raises concerns about South East Water failing to supply water to thousands of residents for eight days during Christmas week.
  • MP highlights specific incidents affecting individuals with health issues due to lack of clean water.
  • MP requests financial compensation beyond statutory minimum and a plan to secure water supplies against future disruptions.

Key requests to Government

The MP asks for financial compensation for affected constituents beyond the statutory minimum and reflects the cumulative impact of multiple days without water. He also requests an urgent plan from South East Water to guarantee the security of water supplies against potential disruptions like power cuts, floods, or freezing weather.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Greg Clark Con Tunbridge Wells

The MP is concerned about the failure of South East Water to supply running water for thousands of people in his constituency, including Tunbridge Wells and surrounding villages, for eight days during Christmas week. He mentions specific incidents such as a constituent with a son diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes who had to endure difficulties due to lack of clean water, another facing challenges with a newborn baby requiring formula that cannot be made with bottled water, and the closure of a dialysis unit due to insufficient water supply.

Other contributors (3)
  • Helen Grant Con Maidstone and Malling

    Ms Grant highlighted the severe water shortages in her constituency of Maidstone and The Weald during December, affecting homes and businesses. She mentioned a 300% increase in burst pipes leading to a loss of 100 million litres of water within 24 hours due to extreme weather conditions. South East Water's initial response was criticised for poor communication and unrealistic advice such as directing residents to a distant town for drinking water. However, Ms Grant praised the engineers and teams who worked tirelessly over Christmas to restore water supplies.

  • Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East

    Ms McCarthy raised concerns about the environmental impact of South East Water's operations, particularly regarding pollution levels in local rivers and seas. She also pointed out that there has been an increase in water bills for consumers despite these issues.

  • Steve Brine Con Winchester

    Mr Brine intervened to suggest that the government should consider introducing a strategic plan for water management across the South East region, rather than allowing individual companies like South East Water to operate independently without oversight.

Government Response

Rebecca Pow

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Sir George. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) and my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald for bringing the serious matter of South East Water's issues to the Chamber. I was very disappointed with the repeated supply issues experienced by customers, which had significant impacts including health concerns. In December 2022, DEFRA engaged with water companies during emergencies, seeking assurances that incidents were being resolved swiftly and impacted customers had access to alternative sources of water. South East Water's performance in 2021-22 was stark, with 39,000 customers experiencing outages and an average interruption time exceeding one hour. The company must urgently improve its performance for customers and address issues leading to supply loss. Ofwat has directed South East Water to return over £2.8 million to customers in the 2023-24 reporting year due to missed targets, and compensation will be automatically triggered by the end of January. I have called an urgent meeting with David Hinton, CEO of South East Water, to discuss the incident and future plans. RAPID was set up by Ofwat to ensure a smooth regulatory path for strategic water resources infrastructure. Water companies are investing £469 million in investigating options such as inter-regional transfers, reservoirs, recycling, and desalination projects. The Government aims to reduce water used per person in England by 20% through mandatory efficiency labelling on appliances.

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