David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, has announced his resignation following widespread water supply outages in Kent and Sussex. According to The Guardian, Hinton will stay on until a successor is found to ensure an "orderly transition." His departure comes just a week after Chris Train, the company's chair, resigned amid scathing criticism from MPs.
Key Takeaways
The CEO of South East Water has announced his resignation following widespread water supply outages and criticism from MPs. Thousands were affected by the outages, which lasted for weeks in some areas.
- David Hinton resigns as CEO after eight years with the company
- Outages left thousands without tap water, showers, or toilets for two weeks
- The Efra committee criticized South East Water's leadership and response to the crisis
According to reports from The Guardian and Sky News, thousands of customers were left without tap water, showers, or toilets during outages between November and January. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee grilled Hinton twice over the company's response to these interruptions. The Efra committee described South East Water as "devoid of proper leadership" and "riddled with cultural problems."
The Daily Mail reported that Hinton earned a £400,000 annual salary and received an additional £115,000 bonus last year. Despite calls for his resignation, he initially refused to step down but later admitted to making mistakes in handling the outages. The Efra committee criticized the leadership's lack of accountability and "groupthink," which they argued prevented the company from analyzing problems effectively.
According to Sky News, Hinton had previously stated that he would not take a bonus for 2026 following the latest outage. The company has acknowledged the need for targeted engineering works and operational changes to improve supply network resilience. Lisa Clement, the interim chair of South East Water, thanked Hinton for his service but emphasized the urgent need for competent leadership.
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