Thousands Of Homes In Sussex Still Without Water Following Storm Goretti

Thousands of homes across Sussex remain without water, with some residents told supplies may not be fully restored until at least Tuesday.

As of last night, around 16,500 households in East Grinstead were experiencing low or no water pressure, while residents in Eastbourne and the village of Upper Dicker are facing similar issues.

Cause Of The OutagesSouth East Water (SEW) said the problems were caused by a combination of factors across its network. Storm Goretti and cold weather affected East Grinstead, while essential network upgrades were behind Eastbourne issues.

Bottled Water Stations Set UpSEW has established bottled water stations around the region, but residents report long queues and gridlocked roads.

One East Grinstead resident said:

"Most of the village is currently without water and yet we have to travel into town to collect bottled supplies.

"Two water collection points are obviously insufficient."

SEW said it is prioritising deliveries to elderly and vulnerable residents. Mims Davies, Conservative MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield, described the ongoing situation as the “worst case scenario” and expressed frustration for affected households, businesses, and farms.

SEW incident manager Steve Andrews apologised for the disruption and confirmed adjustments had been made to bottled water provision after feedback from residents.

Environment Minister Mary Creagh said the outages were “entirely unacceptable” and confirmed she was working with water companies and local authorities to restore supplies as quickly as possible, prioritising vulnerable customers and essential services.

Residents are advised to check SEW’s website and local updates for further information on water availability.