South East Water chair resigns after critical report
Summary
South East Water's chair, Chris Train, has resigned after a report criticized the company's leadership and failures that caused major water outages. MPs expressed no confidence in the water company's leaders and called for changes to improve the service and safety of water supply in parts of southern England.Key Facts
- Chris Train resigned as chair of South East Water following a critical report.
- MPs said the company’s executive team and board failed to handle serious problems, including large water outages in Kent.
- Thousands of homes were without drinking water for up to two weeks after an outage at Pembury Treatment Works in 2025.
- South East Water CEO David Hinton earned a £115,000 bonus last year on top of his £400,000 salary, despite company failures.
- The company plans to double investment in its water network over the next five years covering Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Berkshire.
- MPs called the company’s leadership poor and said it acted like a closed group with little accountability.
- Environment secretary is considering options for changing the company, possibly involving shareholders.
- The parliamentary committee urged water company shareholders to act to improve the situation and hinted nationalisation might be considered.
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