Thousands Of East Sussex Homes Hit By Water Supply Problems

Thousands of homes in East Sussex have been left without water or experiencing low pressure following issues with South East Water’s network.

The disruption has affected customers in Heathfield, Sandy Cross and surrounding areas since Wednesday, after the company said an "unforeseen issue" with planned works, including a complex leak repair, affected supplies.

South East Water apologised to those still impacted on Thursday and said it expected supplies to return by early afternoon.

The company said the problem was caused by high-lift pumps stopping at its water treatment works, affecting its ability to pump water to parts of the area.

A spokesperson said the combination of the repair work and continued hot, dry weather had caused drinking water storage levels to become "extremely low".

Around 2,200 properties in higher areas of Heathfield and approximately 4,145 homes in Sandy Cross have been affected.

Customers who are still without water and are registered on South East Water’s priority service register will have bottled water delivered directly.

Bottle collection points have also been set up at:

• Heathfield Community Centre on Sheepsetting Lane

• Mill Road car park

• Tower Recreation Ground on Tower Street

A separate water supply issue in Horam on Wednesday evening has now been resolved.

The disruption comes as South East Water’s new chief executive begins work, with John Halsall saying he wants to improve the company’s performance and rebuild trust with customers.

Mr Halsall started the role on Thursday after regulatory approval, following the departure of former chief executive David Hinton earlier this year.