Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 April 2026
Correspondence from Mike Martin MP relating to water supply issues in Tunbridge Wells, and summary of findings of business compensation survey, dated 23 March 2026
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Reforming the water sector
Summary
Mike Martin MP submits evidence to the EFRA Committee ahead of its 14 April hearing with South East Water executives. He presents a business compensation survey of 100 Tunbridge Wells firms showing £1.2 million in losses, extrapolated to £18.6 million across 1,500 affected businesses. He also proposes a £44.2 million water resilience plan for Pembury Water Treatment Works, requesting that South East Water's £22 million OFWAT fine be waived to fund it instead.
Key findings
- Survey of 100 businesses reveals £1.225 million in losses; if representative of 1,500 affected businesses, total losses reach £18.6 million—exceeding South East Water's £600,000 compensation offer by over 30-fold
- Leisure and hospitality sector worst affected with estimated losses of £11 million; retail second at £4.3 million
- Public bodies (schools, dentries, nurseries, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) claim additional £232,404 in costs (bottled water, portaloos, catering disruption)
- Proposed twelve-month resilience plan for Pembury Water Treatment Works costs £44.2 million; Martin recommends waiving South East Water's £22 million OFWAT fine to fund implementation
- Martin suggests independent accountant/claims administrator manage compensation distribution to avoid council administrative burden and ensure payments reach business owners rather than landlords
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Mike Martin MP, Alistair Carmichael MP, David Hinton, Chris Train, South East Water, OFWAT, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Notable line
“Evidence from these businesses alone reveal losses of £1.2 million. If we take my findings as representative of the 1500 businesses affected by the outage (South East Water's figure), the total amount lost is over £18 million.”
Key Quotes
“Evidence from these businesses alone reveal losses of £1.2 million. If we take my findings as representative of the 1500 businesses affected by the outage (South East Water's figure), the total amount lost is over £18 million.”
“I also proposed to OFWAT that the recent £22 million fine imposed on South East Water is waived, so that my water resilience plan can be implemented instead.”
“Leisure/hospitality were the worst affected, with total losses over £10million”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗