To eff and bloody blind about SE Water

@twistytwin I really hope you’ve got it back now

SE Water are truly appalling. There were households in the Tunbridge Wells area who were without water for over a fortnight at the end of last year.

Although I'm glad to be in a Southern Water area, they're not much better, but they mostly fuck up by pumping untreated sewage into the rivers and sea and wasting shedloads in leaks. A year or two ago there was a leak in Hastings that was spouting like Old Faithful for days on end.

They both need to be renationalised, without compensation.

I fully agree that something should be done, whether that is government intervention or anything like that. I feel rotten if I can't wash.

I'd be looking at a camping shower.

In the meantime though, the ordinary glycolic acid helps to rid of any smell-causing bacteria and k18s airwash is the best dry shampoo I've ever used. It wants to be for the price, mind you.

Failing the above, is there anyone else's house you could go to for a wash? When I was a kid, we had no water for about 2 weeks and my mum had to send us to our aunts to get washed.

SE Water are appalling. I didn’t have water for nine days towards the end of last year. I don’t drive and all the water stations were too far away to lug more than two bottles back - neighbours were great once they realised but I loathe not being independent. OP, you have my huge sympathies.

Yes they are useless corrupt bastards, but they are just doing what useless corrupt bastards do, ie seizing on opportunities to get money for nothing.
The government's job is to make and enforce the rules for the benefit of the people, they are the ones who have failed by not holding feet to the fire.

I agree that the govt should intervene now with SE Water. I am in West Kent in an area where we have become very used to water outages. So used to it that I have a camping shower and bottles of water stored in case I can’t flush my loo.

Our neighbourhood WhatsApp group is always primed and ready to go when people at the top of the hill start having water pressure issues because we know that’s the warning. We shouldn’t have to live like this and pay through the nose for the privilege.

The cynic me says that it is strange that East Kent is having all the water problems now but West Kent has settled a bit. As if all the water tankers have prior used West Kent so now the drinker water levels in East Kent have suffered.

I think you're absolutely right and I don't understand why this isn't getting state of emergency level government involvement to sort it out.

We were without water for 4 hours at the height of the heatwave, and I wasn't even at home during the period concerned, but ti still felt quite stressful wondering how we'd cope if it didn't come back quickly.

I’m in Kent and fortunately I am Southern water , I honestly don’t think I could cope with no water for days on end. I’m angry for you and all the businesses that are affected , they need a pause on housebuilding in parts of Kent until this is sorted .

Sounds similar to me 2weeks ago

one would get fixed and hours later another one appeared. Looking at the map was crazy how many leaks around my area

meanwhile on a hosepipe ban yet leaks gushing in some roads

Whereabouts in Kent are you OP? I’ve also been affected, but I have water now.

My water bill is outrageous. I agree with PP that the water is undrinkable. The most frustrating part is that we are stuck with them, I wish the government would take them over.

Southern Water is just as bad. In fact they probably all are.

I have had no water for three to four days at a time on several occaisions in the past few years.

Supposed to be on their “Priority Customer Register” due to disability meaning they have to deliver bottled water but in reality this rarely happens or if it does happen it doesn’t arrive until just before the water is finally restored.

In between times of zero water we regularly have brown water or white water.

It also often smells so strongly of chlorine that it is undrinkable, causes skin irritation and soap (such as washing up liquid) won’t foam in it.

I have had to buy bottled water for all drinking water for the past 5 years because it is so disgusting and unreliable.

Useless, corrupt bastards.

I believe the current majority share holders of SW are an Australian hedge fund but owners change from time to time as profit is made again and again with no care for captive customers who cannot remove their business no matter how the company performs.

Innumerable mains water leaks all over our local roads and innumerable sewage dumps into our local rivers and on to our local beaches.

Privatisation and the free market helped nobody but the rich spotting an opportunity to get richer.

Selling off our national assets was a disgrace and this is the end result.

Is this Kent ? I didn’t have any water for 3 days before I went away but they set up water stations and I got a lot of water each pick up

I showered at my friends and my step daughters house

seems to have been sorted while been away

I don’t understand why anyone pays water bills.

the companies are corrupt.

Ugh - I can't imagine.
Sorry no advice, but we're Thames Water here, and were literally told to "stop using water" along with the hose pipe ban - but I drove through our village yesterday, after no rain for WEEKS and then was water gushing down the road from some leak somewhere.
Thames Water leaks an average of 592 million litres of water per day through leaks according to the LibDems. It makes me so mad.

those bastards should be first up against the wall, metaphorically

Yes - they come with a water heater installed and a pump - so better than a bucket wash for at home.

After five days I'd be crawling the walls with no water too!

SE water doubled my direct debit last month without first writing. Only found out by looking online banking. I signed up for their alerts texts, everyday, sometimes several times a day I receive an alert to tell me there is a leak. We had a few hours without water from 9pm until the next day, can't imagine the misery of five days. I think water needs to be brought back under public control.

YANBU

5 days with no water. They'd hear me in NZ!!

& fill it with what? Bottled water??

Can you order a camping shower and hang it up in the cubicle?