The chairman of South East Water (SEW) has resigned following a blistering parliamentary report that condemned the company's leadership as an "unaccountable clique" and highlighted repeated failures that left tens of thousands without drinking water.
Chris Train stepped down on Friday, with the company acknowledging that new leadership was needed to steer a "critical period of positive, transformative change."
The resignation comes after the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee issued a vote of no confidence in SEW's bosses, citing "multiple and ongoing failures" that led to severe supply disruptions in Kent and East Sussex.
In November and December, around 24,000 customers faced water outages, followed by another crisis weeks later that affected up to 30,000 households. The committee's report accused SEW of poor leadership, weak governance, and a culture where no one was held accountable.
MPs also called for the resignation of chief executive David Hinton, who received a £115,000 bonus on top of his £400,000 salary last year. The committee said it took the "unusual but necessary step" of declaring no confidence due to the seriousness of the failures.
Interim chair Lisa Clement said the company remains focused on delivering changes to strengthen network resilience and benefit customers.
Environment secretary Emma Reynolds welcomed Train's resignation, stating: "The company must now put strong new leadership in place to rebuild trust with customers and protect the environment."
Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin called the report a confirmation that SEW "poses a clear and present danger to public health," adding: "It's not if there will be another water crisis, but when."
The report follows two parliamentary hearings into an outage at the Pembury Treatment Works in late 2025, which left homes, schools, GP surgeries, and care settings without clean water for up to two weeks.
Ofwat, the water regulator, is consulting on a proposed fine of up to £22.46 million for failures linked to that incident.