South East Water CEO commits to faster repairs in meeting with Eastbourne MP

Following a high-stakes meeting between South East Water’s new CEO, John Halsall, and Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, the utility provider has committed to slashing average leak repair times from 15 days down to 5 days within the next six months.

The critical discussion on August 26, 2026, follows severe local infrastructure failures, including five major water outages and three consecutive summers of water restrictions since 2024.

Key Outcomes & Commitments

• Leak Reductions: The CEO agreed to drastically accelerate response windows and prioritize long-standing local leaks, including an ongoing incident on Mountney Road in Old Town.
• Financial Upgrades: South East Water confirmed a £200 million investment in pipe upgrades specifically designed to mitigate future network outages. 
• Executive Bonuses: CEO John Halsall confirmed he will not accept a bonus while customer bills continue to rise. MP Babarinde is continuing to press for a review of bonuses across all senior executives. 
• Vulnerable Support: The utility provider has streamlined its Priority Services Register. Vulnerable residents enrolled on the register will now automatically receive bottled water deliveries during supply failures. 
• Community Investment: The firm pledged financial support for an upcoming local environmental and community project, with specific details to be revealed by the MP soon. 

The meeting took place amidst high public scrutiny, as South East Water reportedly leaks roughly 104 million litres of water daily across its network while parts of the region remain under a temporary use hosepipe ban