A Kent council leader has launched a furious broadside against South East Water, demanding the government strip the firm of its licence and plunge it into special administration after catastrophic supply failures left thousands of residents bone-dry during the hottest days of the year.
In a scathing ultimatum to Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds, the Leader of Canterbury City Council, Councillor Alan Baldock, declared “enough is enough” following a recurrent infrastructure collapse that cut off fresh water to homes, businesses, and livestock across Whitstable and Herne Bay.
The disaster mirrors a major supply crisis from last July, sparking outrage that the private utility company has completely failed to modernise its network or learn from past blunders.
Accusing the firm of an “abject failure” in its emergency response, Cllr Baldock asserted that South East Water’s persistent breaches of statutory duties mean it is no longer fit to hold its appointment, effectively demanding it be brought back into public ownership. The dramatic intervention follows severe condemnation from a House of Commons select committee over the company’s shambolic crisis communication and lack of alternative water provisions.
In response to the ongoing misery, Kent councils are now uniting to form a powerful cross-party coalition to aggressively scrutinise the embattled water supplier and force essential infrastructure investment.