Villagers demand action over series of water leaks

Roads in the village have regularly been flooded by the leaks

Villagers in East Sussex are demanding action after a series of water leaks.

The problems in Newick have included a flooded garage and roads while an 87-year-old woman had several inches of standing water in her garden.

Others say they have had their supply interrupted and have been forced to use bottled water.

South East Water said there had been three "bursts" in the area since 2023 and that it was working hard to reduce leaks across its network.

June Page said the leak that affected her garden took two and a half months to fix, ruining her lawn and reaching the patio.

She said the water came within four feet of her home, and she is now waiting for an insurance claim before repairing the damage.

"At 87 years old, you don't want that, at my age," she said.

South Eastern Water said there have been three burst pipes in Newick since 2023

Parish councillor Charlotte Keenan described the situation as "completely unacceptable".

She added: "The response from South East Water was completely inadequate."

Highlighting the hosepipe ban introduced by the company in July, she said the leaks "send completely the wrong message".

"Residents are told to do their bit while the company lets water drain away."

'Incredibly frustrating'

Dave Harvey, distribution manager for South East Water, said: "We are sorry to our customers in Newick who have been experiencing issues with their water supply and our network in recent weeks.

"There have been three bursts in the area since 2023 and we know that this can be incredibly frustrating.

"Please be assured we are working hard to reduce leakage across our network.

"In the last year alone we have repaired more than 18,000 leaks and we have 70 teams repairing leaks when they are reported with a further 86 technicians searching for and finding leaks proactively."

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