Hastings faces potential water outage over Christmas due to burst pipe
Southern Water warns of disruptions as repairs are underway
Southern Water has confirmed that Hastings is at risk of experiencing a water supply outage over Christmas due to a burst water main located north of the town.
The damaged main was identified on Tuesday morning in a woodland area, and repair work has been ongoing ever since. Southern Water has reassured residents that the current water supply remains unaffected, but disruptions could occur as early as tomorrow evening.
In preparation for the potential outage, Southern Water has deployed a fleet of tankers ready to inject water into the network if needed. Bottled water is being delivered to customers on the Priority Services Register across postcodes TN31, TN33, TN34, TN35, TN36, TN37, and TN38. The company has requested that customers with urgent concerns, such as vulnerable individuals in need of priority water delivery, contact their support team on 0330 303 0368.
Tim McMahon, Managing Director of Water at Southern Water, said, “We are taking these measures as a precaution against a worst-case scenario and impact on supply. Our teams will fix the burst main as quickly as possible. While we work to protect supply to homes and businesses in Hastings, we would ask customers please not to use more water than usual, and not to stockpile mains water, as this will make the situation worse. Thank you for your understanding.”
Helena Dollimore, Labour and Co-operative MP for Hastings and Rye, expressed her frustration about the issue. Ms Dollimore said, "I’m deeply frustrated that Hastings is once again paying the price for Southern Water’s failures. My immediate priority is protecting residents, particularly the most vulnerable, and supporting local businesses at this critical time."
Southern Water has promised to provide updates as the repair work progresses, and teams are prepared to work through the night if necessary to resolve the issue.