Sponsored Editorial

Southern Water have issued an apology following water supply problems experienced by people in Thanet in the last couple of months.

Below is the statement from Southern Water in full:

We’re very sorry for the issues you’ve experienced to your water supply over the last two months.

I fully appreciate the distress and disruption this has caused and want to reassure you that we’re doing everything we can to improve services in your area.

The loss of water in December was caused by a significant burst to our 15” water main. However, the problems in January were due to multiple power failures at our Rumfields site caused by a faulty power connector and subsequent issues with our back-up generators to keep the site running. Usually, our tower reservoir would keep customers in supply for some time, but unfortunately this was out of service for essential repair works at the time.

To improve our resilience and limit disruption to your water, we’ve already installed a new temporary back-up generator, with permanent connector and generator replacements arriving by mid-February. We’re investing in a new system so we can switch power to alternative supplies during power outages and we’ve increased the number of people on site, so it’s now staffed 24/7. Our new water tanker fleet is also being rolled out to improve our response in water loss incidents.

Our longer-term fix is getting our tower reservoir back into supply so we can keep your water flowing for longer should any issues arise on site. The first phase of the repair is complete, and it’s now being tested before the tower can be used. We’re expecting this to be finished by the end of February but if it’s unsuccessful we will let you know.

Finally, we’re also investing a total of £2 billion, which is around £1,000 per household, across our region between 2020–25 to improve our services to you, reduce pollution, and fix leaks.

Regular email updates on our works will be sent to customers impacted by these disruptions. If you want to receive these emails but haven’t given us your email address, you can update your contact information via our secure form here or on your online account.

Yours sincerely,

Katy Taylor