David Hinton has resigned as Chief Executive of South East Water, stating that his position had become an "increasing distraction" from the company's priority.
It's been announced that David Hinton has resigned as Chief Executive of South East Water, stating that his position had become an "increasing distraction" from the company's priority of providing resilient water supplies. His departure followed months of intense public and political pressure after major supply outages in Kent and Sussex left tens of thousands of homes without water.
Locally, multiple major outages between November 2025 and January 2026 affected roughly 24,000 properties in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas for up to two weeks. A scathing report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee declared "no confidence" in the leadership, describing the company as "devoid of proper leadership" and "riddled with cultural problems".
David Hinton's exit came just one week after the resignation of the company's chairman, Chris Train, who stepped down following the same critical parliamentary report. However, Hinton will remain in his post through the summer of 2026 to ensure an "orderly transition" and maintain momentum for the company's transformation plan. But he has already ruled out taking a bonus (potentially worth over £100,000) for the 2025-26 financial year due to the supply failures.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds welcomed the resignation, stating it must mark a "fresh start" where customer needs are prioritised. Mike Martin, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells and a vocal critic of South East Water's leadership, welcomed the resignation of CEO David Hinton, stating that he's "finally done the right thing".
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