MPs and councillors have expressed their frustration with supplier South East Water, commenting that the recent hosepipe ban would eliminate the disruption to supplies.
From July 22, for two days, residents in Heathfield, Cross in Hand and surrounding villages suffered interrupted supplies, taking the form of very low pressure followed by no water at all coming from the taps.
South East Water confirmed that about 2,200 properties on high ground in Heathfield and 4,415 in Sandy Cross were disrupted, resulting from 'an unforeseen issue with planned works to our network' including a complex leak repair.'
At the time an SEW spokesperson said: "Due to a complex leak repair and network connection our high lift pumps stopped working at our water treatment works which impacted the ability to pump water to Heathfield, Sandy Cross and the surrounding areas. This, coupled with the increased demand for water in the continued hot, dry weather, means drinking water storage levels in the area are extremely low.'
Water was delivered to vulnerable customers. Others could collect supplies (quantity according to numbers of people in each household) from car parks across the area including Heathfield Community Centre. Tower Street and Mill Road. Quantities supplied depended on the numbers of people in each household.
SEW also announced disruption to supplies in Ditchling and Burgess Hill last Friday, attributing the problem to 'two separate burst water mains in the area.' The company said its technicians were working hard to limit the impact before repairs could be carried out.
In the meantime, residents posted images on social media sites of apparent mains leaks which had seen water gushing across country roads. They commented that repairs carried out in time would have helped minimise the shortages.
Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, said she continues to receive complaints from exasperated residents who feel they are being left high and dry by South East Water.
"She said "We were under the impression that the recent hosepipe ban would eliminate the disruption but the problems appear to be much worse than we thought with water curfews in Crowborough and Heathfield."
Ms Ghani hoped the Priority Services Register was up to date. She also called on SEW's new CEO, John Halsall, to be clear about the true scale of the situation and the likelihood of further water supply outages over the summer months.
She said she had received reports of service failures across the whole Sussex Weald, including Broad Oak, Frant and East Hoathly and was working with MPs and stakeholders from across Kent and Sussex. "It worries me that proposals to build tens of thousands of new homes across the constituency will worsen the water supply crisis. I am also calling on Wealden District Council to press South East Water to explain how they will be able to accommodate all these new homes proposed in Wealden's plan.
"This is just another incident in South East Water's long line of continuous failures. The company needs to step up and ensure the quality of service that customers deserve and pay for."
Earlier this month South East Water launched a dedicated emergency support system for livestock owners during supply outages. They said the new framework outlined a rapid, structured deployment of emergency water supplies tailored to the needs of local livestock handlers. A livestock register was developed following lessons learned from previous water supply interruptions and feedback from livestock owners.
The former CEO of South East Water, David Hinton, resigned on May 8 this year following severe supply failure, intense political pressure and a critical parliamentary report. Company chair, Chris Train, also resigned a week earlier.
The new CEO is John Halsall who took up the post on Thursday, July 23 following regulatory approval. The company says he comes with a clear plan to improve day to day performance and rebuild trust with customers.
Susan King writes: "As a reporter, working a great deal from home, I live in Cross in Hand and was without water for two days. As my husband is deemed 'vulnerable' water was delivered promptly on both days. Following that, a very efficient system of collection points had been set up enabling everyone affected to collect the water they needed."