Water Outages Continue Across Sussex As East Grinstead Businesses And Residents Struggle

(c) Sky News

Thousands of homes and businesses across Sussex remain without water, with East Grinstead among the worst-affected areas following days of supply disruption.

Around 16,500 properties in and around East Grinstead are experiencing no water or low pressure, with South East Water warning supplies may not be fully restored until Tuesday.

Residents and business owners have described gridlocked roads, long queues for bottled water and a lack of clear communication.

One East Grinstead shop manager said the situation had forced businesses to close, describing scenes in the town over the weekend as “chaos”.

Bottled Water Stations In Sussex

South East Water has confirmed bottled water distribution points in East Grinstead, including:

• East Grinstead Sports Club

• Kings Centre, Moat Road

• East Court, College Lane

The company says stations will remain open until 10pm, while deliveries continue to vulnerable residents on its Priority Services Register.

Community Support Steps In

Blackland Farm Outdoor Centre, near East Grinstead, has opened its shower and toilet facilities free of charge to local residents, using water supplied from an on-site storage tank.

Political Reaction

East Grinstead and Uckfield MP Mims Davies said residents had endured “traffic bedlam” and described the situation as a “complete mess”, raising concerns for rural communities and livestock affected by the outages.

Environment Minister Emma Hardy said the disruption was “entirely unacceptable” and confirmed meetings were taking place with water companies and local resilience teams to restore supplies, prioritising vulnerable people and essential services.

Cause Of The Outages

South East Water says the disruption has been caused by a combination of burst pipes following freezing temperatures and reduced treatment capacity during Storm Goretti, leaving storage reservoirs critically low.

Repair teams are working around the clock, with tankers pumping water into the network.

Residents are being advised to check South East Water’s website for updates on supply restoration and local water station locations.