It is not the first time that Wealden is experiencing such disruption. I have spoken directly with the Chief Executive each day of the outage and will continue putting pressure on South East Water to fix this and to set up accessible bottled water stations in reasonable time.
My repeated representations to South East Water meant that a water station was set up at the Golf Club on 20 December, before moving to Beacon Academy, North Beeches Road, TN6 2AS.
I continue to push for Crowborough to be prioritised for further water deliveries and the return of full supply to all customers. Please continue to check for updates here: https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/service-updates
South East Water’s response to the ongoing disruption is wholly unacceptable. It is clear South East Water has an infrastructure and resilience problem, which is the reason why so many homes are struggling to have access to water. I made it clear that they cannot continue to cause water misery for another day.
My priority is to respond to vulnerable constituents and ensure they have access to water and other social services. Locally, Wealden District Council Gold Command & Emergency Planning have been stepped up but South East Water needs to fix water supplies to homes as soon as possible.
South East Water have advised me that around 10,000 customers in Sussex have had their supplies restored as of the morning of 22 December, and those in Crowborough who are still without should see supplies return by mid-afternoon and all other areas by late evening.
Vulnerable or disabled customers, or those who have children under the age of 5 can register for SEW Priority Services by using this link: www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/priority-services
I continue sharing every correspondence with South East Water to ensure they are aware of the personal impact of the disruption and the strength of feeling on their service locally. I will also be pressing for full compensation and asking questions of their management once supply is fully reinstated to all residents and businesses locally.
