Ofwat to fine South East Water £22 million for failures

LocalBusiness & Finance
5 Mar 2026 • 4:51 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Ofwat plans to fine South East Water £22 million over water supply failures that affected more than 286,000 people between 2020 and 2023.
  • The proposed fine follows multiple supply interruptions experienced by homes in Kent and Sussex.
  • The water regulator found that South East Water "lacked ownership" for resolving the root causes of supply failures and failed to maintain important infrastructure.
  • Investigations revealed the company did not maintain supply-system resilience to minimise incidents or plan adequately for periods of high demand.
  • Chris Walters, Ofwat's interim chief executive, said that the company's "significant failings caused major disruption" and that they "must do better."

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