Anger over heatwave hosepipe ban in Kent

Residents battling extreme heat have expressed their anger and frustration after a water firm announced a hosepipe ban in Kent.

South East Water (SEW) has been branded "despicable" after it imposed the measure on about 850,000 households due to increased demand.

SEW chief executive David Hinton, said: "The sheer scale of this sustained heatwave means drinking water is being drawn from our storage tanks faster than it can be treated and refilled."

But customers who have endured multiple water outages in recent years said they have grown tired of the firm's excuses, with one local resident, Naomi Scarborough, branding SEW "absolutely disgusting" and "despicable".

"Everything has been left to go to the dogs, to pay the shareholders," added Scarborough, from Maidstone.

Emilia Pound, from Sevenoaks, said: "It's a little bit ridiculous.

"These are the hottest days we've experienced in a long time, and three weeks ago they had half of Sevenoaks without water. They'd shut it off! And now there's this hosepipe ban.

"You have parents who can't keep kids cool by chucking them in a paddling pool. You've got people wanting to cool down their dogs. How are we supposed to keep cool?"

Another local resident, Tom, from Sevenoaks, said: "It's really not ideal as they restricted our supply and now they're saying we have to restrict our water usage.

"Obviously the temperatures are really high, and ultimately they should prepare better for children and the elderly who need water when it's unusually hot."

Dry Wells Action, a consumer action group based in Tunbridge Wells, said SEW had failed in its sole mission to supply homes in Kent.

Group chairman Jonathan Hawker said: "We can live without using hosepipes in the garden or to wash a car. We can't live without drinking water or with a water company that doesn't know what it's doing."

The group called for a "common sense" suspension of new home developments within the SEW network area until the "crisis is resolved finitely".

SEW had earlier said it was asking people to adhere to the ban "immediately", despite it legally coming into force from 00:01 on 3 July.

Some customers say they are furious after SEW increased bills and then put the hosepipe ban in place.

The company raised prices by an average of 7% from April, bringing the average yearly bill to £324.

George Witcomb, who lives in Tonbridge, says he is "concerned" for his father who is a keen gardener.

"He's very proud of our garden at home, so it's going to have quite an impact on that," he explained.

The cafe manager said it had been "one thing after another" with SEW.

Howard, from Maidstone, said: "People will just use their hose pipes anyway on a day like today, and why shouldn't they?"

However, Elizabeth Wood, a mother from Maidstone, said the ban was "no problem" and was to be expected.

She has urged people to "just keep calm and carry on".

Annette Cox, who owns the cafe Even Flow in Tunbridge Wells, says she was amazed the hosepipe ban "hasn't happened sooner", given SEW's history.

"I'm just not surprised. I wouldn't have expected them to react any other way," she added.

"I think we've been through so much with them that it's just standard behaviour really."

Hinton, who resigned in May following supply issues but remained in the post to allow for an "orderly transition", said he recognised customers' frustrations due to the ban.

He said: "To safeguard that shared supply and prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we sadly need to ask our communities to not use their hosepipes immediately.

"We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect Kent's water."

The hosepipe ban was announced as some SEW customers were facing supply interruptions.

The company said parts of Ashford, Headcorn and Whitstable in Kent had no water or low pressure as of Thursday morning.

Compton in Surrey, alongside Peacehaven and Arlington in East Sussex, were also facing supply disruptions.

Regulator Ofwat recently proposed fining the firm £22m over issues affecting 286,000 people in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023.

Between November and December, some 24,000 SEW customers had no water supply or low pressure following a plant failure, which led to a boil water notice for several days.

Weeks later, up to 30,000 households faced days of water chaos - which SEW blamed on cold weather and Storm Goretti.

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