South East Water CEO to step down after Kent and Sussex supply outages

The chief executive of South East Water has announced plans to step down, a week after the group’s chair quit in the wake of major supply outages in Kent and Sussex. The supplier said David Hinton , who joined the board in 2013, would stay in post to allow an “orderly transition” over the summer while the group hunts for his successor. “He feels his position has become an increasing distraction from South East Water’s most important priority, which is to deliver a resilient water supply for its customers,” the company said. The resignation came after former chairman Chris Train resigned last week following a scathing report by MPs, who said they had “no confidence” in the company’s leadership. Bosses at South East Water were grilled twice by MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee over their response to multiple supply interruptions across Kent and Sussex. Thousands of customers were left unable to access tap water, shower or flush their toilets during the outages between November and January. Calls had been mounting for Hinton to join the chairman in stepping down. …