We know that interruptions to the drinking water supply in East Grinstead have been frustrating in recent years – and we share this frustration.
At times, our service has not met the standard expected of us and we are working hard to improve our operations and investing to put things right.
Following the water supply issues experienced during Storm Eunice in February 2022, when power issues cut water supplies in the East Grinstead area, we created a community chest fund, distributing £100,000 to charities and local businesses in the town and surrounding areas.
This included East Grinstead Foodbank, Age UK East Grinstead and the East Grinstead Community First Responders.
We were delighted to be able to give back to 21 community charities and organisations, nominated by Mims Davies MP with the help of local stakeholders, and voted for by local residents.
Improving your local water network
We have invested to improve resilience in our network and last year, we replaced a section of burst-prone water pipe that had been causing regular disruption to the local community around the Queen’s Road area of East Grinstead.
The work was expected to take 28 weeks to complete, but we were able to complete the work ten weeks earlier than originally scheduled, with the road re-opened two months early.
Jeremy Dufour, Project Manager for South East Water, said: “The team on this project was an incredibly efficient and dedicated group and this excellent work did not go unnoticed and received glowing praise.
“This new water main will help to reduce the disruption caused by frequent bursts. Along with the work carried out in Turner’s Hill Road and West Hill, we are helping to secure the supply of top-quality drinking water to customers in East Grinstead now and in the future as the community continues to grow.”
This was part of an £850,000 investment by South East Water to improve East Grinstead’s water supply, following a project to install 650 metres of new mains in Turners Hill Road in 2022.
The investment helped to pump more water into the East Grinstead area to ensure residents and businesses in the town continue to receive top quality drinking water as demand increases.
Without this, the area’s water pressure would have reduced as demand for water would have exceeded the amount of water that could be supplied.
Elsewhere, we also laid 845 metres of new pipe in 2022 in Handcross Road, Balcombe, between our water treatment works and the junction with High Beeches Lane.
The projects form part of a five-year £489 million improvement programme to improve resilience across the South East Water network in Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and Berkshire.
Planning for the future
We have recently submitted our most ambitious ever business plan, to the regulator – Ofwat. We’re proposing to invest £1.9 billion over the next five years beginning in 2025. We believe that this investment is vital to enhance security of the water supply and guarantee a dependable quality service in the future.
As part of this, we plan to install around three kilometres of pipe in the Imberhorne Lane area of East Grinstead to boost resilience and strengthen the network locally.
Wider improvements are also being made across Sussex, with around £80 million being invested across three substantial projects, including significant upgrades to our Bewl Water Treatment Works and around 35 kilometres of water mains being installed in various parts of the county.
Community drop-in event
We are holding a drop-in event at the Chequer Mead Theatre in East Grinstead, where you can come and meet with us, ask questions, and share any thoughts you have about your drinking water service.
From 4:30pm until 7pm on Tuesday, 5 November, we’ll have experts from across the business ready to help.
We’re looking forward to seeing you then.