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16,500 Homes in Sussex Face Water Outages Amid Storm

1/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Roughly 16,500 homes in East Grinstead, Sussex, face water outages or low pressure due to Storm Goretti and cold weather.
South East Water has set up bottled water stations and is delivering water to vulnerable customers.
The situation is expected to improve by the end of the weekend.
Local MP Mims Davies criticized the impact on vulnerable residents and called for accountability regarding the outages.

History

Historical Context

The Great Storm of 1987 struck southern England on October 15-16, causing extensive damage with winds reaching hurricane force. It uprooted over 15 million trees and left hundreds of thousands without power, leading to significant infrastructure challenges for organizations like British Telecom. The storm's aftermath prompted improvements in weather forecasting and highlighted the vulnerabilities of essential services to severe weather events.

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Story summary

Roughly 16,500 homes in East Grinstead, Sussex, face water outages or low pressure due to Storm Goretti and cold weather.
South East Water has set up bottled water stations and is delivering water to vulnerable customers.
The situation is expected to improve by the end of the weekend.
Local MP Mims Davies criticized the impact on vulnerable residents and called for accountability regarding the outages.

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