The CEO of Southern Water, Lawrence Gosden, has publicly apologised to residents of Hampshire after parts of the county were left without water, in what he described as the single biggest incident in the company’s history.
Customers in parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey and the New Forest experienced either low pressure or a total loss of water supply, caused by a technical issue at the water company’s Testwood Water Supply Works.
The interruptions began on 18th December but Southern Water confirmed all properties in Hampshire saw their water return at around 2am on Friday 20th December.
Bottled water stations were opened across the region, with water also being delivered to care homes and customers on the Priority Services Register.
Lawrence Godsen, CEO, Southern Water, said:
“I want to apologise personally to the community in Hampshire following the water supply interruption this week, for the huge disruption and inconvenience it caused so many people so close to Christmas. In this note I also set out a commitment to compensate customers, costing £9.7 million, and I promise to review this incident thoroughly and learn the lessons.
“The community served by the Testwood water works has suffered similar interruptions before, and so what happened this week is a repeat for many who live in the area. I understand how disruptive and infuriating this was for all those affected, and I’m very sorry. It was the single biggest water supply incident in our company’s history.”
Southern Water will be the first water company to appear before MPs to discuss the reasons for, and its response to, the water outages, as it faces the EFRA Committee on January 21st, 2025, part of the Reforming the water sector inquiry launched by the House of Commons.
