Southern Water to pay compensation over outage

Southern Water has agreed to wage compensation to householders and businesses who were near without a proviso for up to six days successful May 2024.

An estimated 32,500 properties in the Hastings area were near without h2o implicit the slope vacation play aft a mains tube located successful distant woodland burst.

The institution has present agreed to wage compensation astatine £50 for each 12 hours customers had nary water, aft antecedently saying they were not eligible.

Southern Water said astatine the clip of the incidental manufacture guidelines meant households did not suffice for compensation.

Helena Dollimore, who won the Hastings and Rye spot for Labour successful the wide predetermination successful July, said she was 1 of those affected.

"I mislaid my h2o proviso for 4 days" she said, "the disruption we suffered successful our assemblage was huge.

"We had parents incapable to alteration their babies' nappies, we had radical incapable to navigator and clean.

"You couldn't flush the toilet, you couldn't cleanable and lavation up food, it's lone close you get compensation for that period."

In a connection connected Thursday Southern Water said regulator Ofwat's guidelines astatine the clip meant households did not suffice for compensation "due to the determination and quality of the burst h2o tube which caused the outage."

Instead, the institution said, it created a £1m goodwill money to supply grants to section businesses, assemblage groups and charities.

Antonia Barton, main lawsuit serviceman astatine Southern Water, said: "We've cautiously reviewed our presumption connected compensation for Hastings customers, having taken clip to perceive to members of the assemblage astir the interaction this atrocious incidental had connected them, their families and their businesses.

"Although we followed the close procedures astatine the clip we've decided it's close that we spell further for the radical of Hastings"

The institution said it has plans to walk £80m improving the h2o infrastructure astir Hastings.

It said its connection of £50 for each 12 hours a lawsuit was without proviso was successful enactment with caller compensation rates, and treble what would person been paid successful 2024.

Affected households volition beryllium notified by missive by mid-March.

Julia Hilton, person of Hastings Borough Council, said: "We invited the concern Southern Water has committed.

"We privation wide timescales and tangible grounds of betterment twelvemonth connected twelvemonth and volition proceed to person regular meetings astatine councillor and serviceman level with the institution to guarantee Hastings is getting the champion woody from them."

But John Bownas, from the organisation Love Hastings, said businesses should person more.

He said: "Many struggling businesses inactive stay massively retired of pouch due to the fact that the compensation they received past twelvemonth successful galore cases was importantly little than their reduced takings implicit what should've been the busiest play of the year."