South East Water CEO Resigns Amid Outage Criticism

David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, resigned on Friday amid intense criticism over repeated supply outages that left tens of thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex without running water over the winter.

The company, which serves parts of Kent and Sussex, announced that Hinton, who has led the business since 2020 and served on its board since 2013, would remain in his role until a successor is appointed to ensure an orderly transition over the summer. His departure follows that of chairman Chris Train, who quit last week after a parliamentary committee expressed no confidence in the utility's leadership. Lisa Clement, the interim chair, thanked Hinton for "his many years of loyal dedication and service to South East Water."

The resignations cap months of scrutiny following outages that affected 24,000 properties with low pressure or no water between late November and early December, primarily due to a disinfection issue at the Pembury Water Treatment Works. Residents faced boil-water advisories for nine days afterward. Further disruptions hit up to 30,000 customers in January, including areas like Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead, Maidstone, and Canterbury,...