Happy New Year and January update from Nusrat Ghani MP

Winter is a beautiful time in Sussex Weald, especially with a bit of frost in the morning making everything sparkle. However, periods of very low temperatures and icy spells always expose the vulnerabilities in our infrastructure. I recognise the strength of feeling on the disruptions to our water supplies and share everyone’s frustration at the speed of response when such events take place.

I continue working with South East Water and I am pleased that following my many meetings with them and calls to invest in their infrastructure, several multi-million-pound improvements are taking place across the constituency. Approximately 17km of new pipeline will connect treatment works at Bewl Water with drinking water storage tanks in Wadhurst and Rotherfield; additionally, approximately 6.5km of ageing pipeline between Heathfield, Punnetts Town and Rushlake Green will be replaced; and lastly, a £61 million investment to upgrade and expand Bewl Water Treatment Works by building a second treatment facility on site will provide a boost to water production in the area, treating an additional 17 million litres of water a day when completed in 2028.

However, while I welcome this progress, I’m aware that the winter months can bring unexpected disruptions, and I would like to encourage Sussex Weald residents to check their eligibility and sign up to South East Water’s Priority Services Register to receive additional support in case of sudden supply issues. It's completely free to register, and you don't have to be the named bill payer to be eligible.

Registering is quick and easy and can be done via an online form or by calling the Customer Care Team on 0800 952 4000 Monday to Friday 8am-7pm. To find out more and to register, please visit: www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/priority-services. A new scheme has also been set up to specifically help those customers who keep livestock on a non-commercial basis. To find out more, go to: www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/works-and-outages/register-for-livestock-alternate-water.

I will of course continue working with South East Water on what more can be done to further improve water supply resilience in Sussex Weald.

For more information on my work, please visit my website www.nusghani.org.uk.