Labour are overseeing yet another major failure of the private water network:
30,000 homes left without water in Kent and Sussex.
South East Water company blamed bad weather and storms as though we never had that before.
Real reason is lack of investment, unjustified dividends and exec pay.https://t.co/X7ZAqefaRM
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) January 12, 2026
Predictable chaos from Labour
As professor Prem Sikka highlights, the issue is private mismanagement of the water network. This is how South West Water are excusing their raging incompetence:
Our drinking water storage tanks across the counties are running low following an outbreak of leaks and burst water mains after the recent cold weather.
As a result, about 30,000 properties across parts of Kent and Sussex may be experiencing no water, intermittent supply or low pressure.
This includes 16,500 properties in East Grinstead, with the remainder spread across parts of Kent, including Tunbridge Wells, Headcorn and intermittently across our Maidstone system.
We’re sorry for the impact caused by this and know how disruptive it is to your daily lives. We’re doing all we can to try to balance our network and restore supplies to as many customers as possible.
Do you know what cold weather and privatised mismanagement have in common? They’re both entirely predictable.
If South West had maintained the pipes as they should, they wouldn’t be having these large scale problems.
Everything you need to know about South East Water and the water industry in a single sentence.
Between 2020 – 2022 South East Water spent more on paying dividends and debt interest that they invested in infrastructure like pipes and water treatment works. https://t.co/UEEOAx1s9t
— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) January 12, 2026
In response to this latest catastrophe, senior Labour figures are pretending to be surprised and upset. The PM’s spokesperson said it’s “completely unacceptable”; water minister Emma Hardy said something similar (emphasis added):
I remain very concerned that people in several areas in the south-east and south-west are experiencing water supply issues following both cold weather and Storm Goretti.
This is entirely unacceptable. I held meetings with the water companies and local resilience forums over the weekend, and am meeting with them again today, to restore supplies as quickly as possible, prioritising vulnerable customers and essential public services.
You’ll note these Labour politicians are saying it’s ‘unacceptable’, and yet they are accepting it by allowing the scam to continue. These companies will never prioritise our interests. And as we’ve reported, the government’s new AI data centre contracts will make these problems even worse.
EXCLUSIVE: Starmer’s ‘systemic planning failure’ on AI data centres puts UK water reserves at dire risk
In the first of a 5-part investigation, @willem_moore_uk looks into what Labour is not telling you about AI data centres in the UK #AIDevelopment https://t.co/zFKV13tjHH
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) January 5, 2026
Reform incoming?
Kent County’s Reform council, meanwhile, have issued a predictably weak response. Instead of pushing for the reform we desperately need, council leader Linden Kemkaran is demanding South East Water shuffle the deck chairs at the top:
The ongoing situation with #water in #Kent is a disgrace.
Last night I updated @SkyNews on how my residents are faring and how much money local businesses have lost.
Today I’ll be asking my fellow Kent Leaders to sign a letter to the head of @sewateruk asking that he step down… pic.twitter.com/TC90fQ5asa
— Linden Kemkaran (@LeaderofKCC) January 13, 2026
It’s clear that Labour, the Tories, and Reform have no intention of solving this issue. If they did make plans to prevent the catastrophic failures we keep seeing, the media would brand them “hard left”:
Green Party – Nationalise the water companies, tax the super rich, invest in our public services, stop the genocide, lower bills.
The Telegraph – Greens are “hard left.” pic.twitter.com/kAAp5KiiRB
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) September 20, 2025
Featured image via Heute
By Willem Moore
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