South East Water (SEW) faces a leadership crisis as its chairman, Chris Train, resigns immediately following a blistering report from Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee. The report exposes deep-rooted management failures and cultural issues that have left the company reeling.
MPs Deliver Harsh Verdict on SEW Leadership
The EFRA Committee, led by Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, declared it has “no confidence” in SEW’s leadership to rectify the company’s ongoing problems. The committee labelled SEW as “devoid of proper leadership” and “riddled with cultural problems,” highlighting the urgent need for a complete overhaul at the top.
Criticism targeted SEW’s chief executive, David Hinton, urging a fundamental shift in the company’s mindset. “Change at this scale requires SEW’s leadership to change,” the committee asserted, after repeatedly questioning executives about their inadequate responses to multiple water supply interruptions across Kent and Sussex.
Calls for Accountability and Leadership Reset
Carmichael emphasized, “Someone in this company needs to take a grip, be accountable for its failings and put them right.” SEW acknowledged recent board discussions about its recovery and transformation plan, agreeing that new independent board leadership is essential to steer the company through this critical period of positive change for customers and local communities alike.
Following Train’s departure, interim independent non-executive chair Lisa Clement expressed gratitude for his service and reaffirmed SEW’s commitment to strengthening its network resilience and transforming operations for the public’s benefit.
Major Water Outage Triggers Crisis
This leadership upheaval follows a severe water outage in late 2025, which left tens of thousands of Tunbridge Wells residents without drinking water for two weeks. The incident exposed glaring operational failures and sparked regulatory scrutiny.
Ofwat, the water industry regulator, is considering levying a fine up to 8% of SEW’s annual turnover—approximately £22.46 million—due to sustained supply disruptions and poor customer service between 2020 and 2023.
The EFRA Committee also called on SEW’s major shareholders—Utilities Trust of Australia, NatWest Group Pension Fund, and Desjardins Group—to hold the company accountable for its performance lapses.
Community Demands Stronger Consumer Voices
Local campaigners from the Dry Wells Action group demanded CEO David Hinton’s resignation and urged SEW to appoint consumer representatives as non-executive directors to ensure customers’ voices influence board decisions. The group hailed Train’s resignation as “the correct decision” and questioned why Hinton had not followed suit.
They also called for government intervention, recommending regulators join the board during a probationary period to determine if SEW should retain its operating license.
Critical Failures at Pembury Treatment Works
The EFRA report exposed SEW’s failure to conduct essential water jar testing at the Pembury Treatment Works, despite repeated warnings from the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). This neglect left the company “flying blind” during the Tunbridge Wells outage, unable to verify water quality.
Routine maintenance and cleaning had also been neglected at Pembury, compounding risks. The committee condemned SEW’s ongoing under-resourcing and failure to implement necessary fixes since 2019, despite having budgets allocated for these measures.
Culture of Avoiding Responsibility
The report harshly criticized SEW’s leadership for consistently shifting blame to external factors, ignoring clear evidence. “A culture of obfuscating responsibility seriously inhibits their ability to analyze problems and learn lessons,” it stated.
In response, SEW issued an unreserved apology to customers affected by recent failures and acknowledged the resulting loss of public trust. The company pledged to double investment in its water supply infrastructure across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire over the next five years to prevent future crises.
