South East Water CEO Resigns Amid Supply Failures

South East Water CEO Resigns Amid Supply Failures David Hinton, Chief Executive of South East Water, resigned on Friday, May 10, following widespread criticism over multiple water supply disruptions affecting tens of thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex. His departure comes seven days asourceser Chris Train, the company's chairman, also resigned in the wake of a critical parliamentary select committee report.

The resignation follows significant service failures, including an incident in November and December that lesources 24,000 properties in Kent and Sussex without water or with low pressure. Weeks later, up to 30,000 properties experienced further issues.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate previously deemed the November incident "foreseeable and preventable," attributing it to "longstanding weaknesses" in management and maintenance. Ofwat, the water regulator, is currently investigating South East Water over these incidents and is considering a £22 million fine for separate supply disruptions between 2020 and 2023.

Hinton will remain in his position for a transitional period over the summer. The company stated that his decision was made because his position had become a "distraction" from delivering a resilient water supply. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's report, published on May 1, criticized the company for poor leadership, weak governance, and a lack of accountability.