Freeze-thaw weather causes 300 per cent increase in bursts on South East Water network

South East Water has reported that a period of cold weather followed by a sudden temperature rise in December caused a 300 per cent increase in bursts and leaks on its network and in customers' homes, leaving some customers without supply. The company published the figures in a feedback page on its website dated 1 December 2022.

Across its supply area, the company said it lost 100 million litres of water to leaks and bursts "in a very short space of time", equivalent to the daily use of three towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne¹. The extra demand emptied treated drinking water storage tanks faster than they could be refilled¹. The company said it worked around the clock to find and fix leaks, reroute water around its pipe network, deliver water to vulnerable customers and set up bottled water stations¹.

Bottled water stations were opened for all customers without water. The company's Customer Care team delivered more than 7,000 bottles to customers on its Priority Services Register who could not get to the stations and had no one to help them¹. South East Water acknowledged frustration over the locations, queues and lack of stock at the stations, and said water companies across the country were also experiencing high burst rates, so bottled water, HGVs and drivers were in high demand nationally. At times drivers were making five-hour round trips to restock supplies¹.

On compensation, the company said it abides by its Customer Code of Practice, which forms part of its Guaranteed Standards of Service for household customers and is based on the requirements of the Water Act¹. It said it had analysed pressure and water flow data once the network stabilised, written directly to affected customers, and applied a credit to individual accounts reflecting both the length and frequency of the interruption. Customers can view the credit by logging into "My Account" on the company's website¹.

Why it matters for households

The event shows how a sudden thaw after cold weather can affect water supply over a wide area, not only at isolated burst pipes. Households on the company's Priority Services Register received direct deliveries of bottled water where they could not reach a station and had no one to help¹. The company has not reported in this page how many properties lost supply, how long individual interruptions lasted, or which areas were affected. Households can check whether an outage is affecting their area and how to report a burst pipe or loss of supply; the site's guides on checking for an outage and reporting no water or a burst pipe set out the steps. For households preparing for a loss of supply, the supply interruption checklist and the guide to washing without running water cover the practical arrangements, and the water hub collects the related guidance.

What happens next

South East Water said it has written to affected customers and applied account credits, which can be viewed in "My Account"¹. It has also invited customers to submit feedback on what happened and how it was handled, to help improve its service¹. No further dates for the feedback exercise or for any network works have been reported.