The chief executive of South East Water, David Hinton, has confirmed he will forgo his annual bonus following significant water supply outages that affected customers in Kent and Sussex. The company faced severe operational challenges, leading to what Hinton described as 'unacceptable' service disruptions for thousands of households.
Appearing before the UK Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Hinton acknowledged the company's failures in maintaining a reliable water supply. He stated that his decision to decline his bonus was a direct response to the distress caused to customers. The outages, which occurred in 2025, prompted regulatory scrutiny and widespread customer complaints.
South East Water has been under pressure from regulators, including Ofwat, to improve its infrastructure and resilience. The company has outlined a investment plan aimed at preventing future supply interruptions. The incident has contributed to the broader national debate on water company performance and executive remuneration in the UK utilities sector.
