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30,000 Homes in South East England Face Water Outages

1/11/2026

50 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

SEW Responds to Outages

About 30,000 homes in South East England lack water after outages caused by Storm Goretti and cold weather.
South East Water (SEW) has apologized and is providing bottled water at East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells stations.
In East Grinstead, 16,500 households are affected; 4,500 homes in Kent face supply issues.
Local MP Mims Davies called it the worst case scenario for vulnerable customers, and SEW expects delays until at least Tuesday.

Summary

Storm Goretti Disrupts

Storm Goretti continues to disrupt life across the UK, with warnings in place.
In Northern Ireland, a yellow rain alert predicts up to 60mm of rainfall.
Scotland faces gusts of 70 mph.
The Met Office warns of flood risk from melting snow and rain.
England reports over 22,200 properties without power.

History

Historical Context

The Great Storm of 1987 struck southern England on October 15-16, causing extensive damage with hurricane-force winds that uprooted over 15 million trees and left thousands without power. This storm, which resulted in at least 22 fatalities, highlighted significant gaps in emergency preparedness and forecasting, prompting major improvements in meteorological practices to better handle future extreme weather events.

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SEW Responds to Outages

About 30,000 homes in South East England lack water after outages caused by Storm Goretti and cold weather.
South East Water (SEW) has apologized and is providing bottled water at East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells stations.
In East Grinstead, 16,500 households are affected; 4,500 homes in Kent face supply issues.
Local MP Mims Davies called it the worst case scenario for vulnerable customers, and SEW expects delays until at least Tuesday.

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