It’s that time of year, and while many of us are gearing up for Christmas, this past week I’ve been busy with one of Southampton’s most unwelcome Christmas traditions! The water supply disappearing. Southern Water caused utter chaos and concern when their water supply to thousands of homes stopped due to an issue that arose while cleaning and updating the Testwood Water Supply Works in Totton.
Southern Water’s handling of it, has been quite frankly appalling. The lack of water stations in Southampton, the confused communication from the Southern Water team, and even when these minimal water stations were set up, there was confusion over when they opened and closed, as well as only being able to access them with a car. Once they were “up and running” they ran out of water, leaving many stranded having waited hours. Those that could not get to a water station, and particularly the vulnerable (who were meant to be on a priority list for Southern Water to hand deliver to their homes!) – were left in limbo, waiting for water they were promised, that never came or came too late. At one point there were more than 20,000 people on that list.
Myself and my team heard the most desperate and heartbreaking stories. Single mum’s with disabled children, older people with complex medical conditions, those recently recovering from surgery with nothing to have their medication with. Schools were forced to close, leaving parents stranded, businesses lost out during their busiest time of year, and even Southampton General Hospital was affected. It simply is not good enough! I shared people’s anger and frustration – and we tried to help and support as many as we could that reached out to us. We know Southern Water’s emergency number was found wanting! So we stepped in and advocated for as many people as possible to make sure Southern Water was delivering. My team, with support from the amazing local Labour councillors and volunteers, were hand delivering water to those that Southern Water failed to get to. Huge thanks to everyone that played a role to help us reach as many as we could. Also a huge thanks to those that helped neighbours and loved ones during this time.
To add insult to injury, some finally received their emergency water supply after the water finally came back a couple of days later! Simply unacceptable.
I have shared all your experiences directly with Southern Water and will be holding them to account.
People are rightly upset, frustrated and have questions.
We have been here before, yet Southern Water’s handling of the situation was so poor! I want to make sure lessons are learned, so if this happens again, water supply delivery is simpler and easier for everyone. For example, why can’t Southern Water deliver to every household affected, getting through entire affected streets and homes much quicker and efficiently? Why was communication so poor? Unless you have social media, it was impossible to know what was going on? Southern Water needs to be held to account.
I’ll also be pushing for people to be compensated, especially if you’re a business that has been forced to close due to Southern Water’s failure. If you wanted to find out how to do this, please get in touch with Southern Water directly, the simplest way is to call them on 0330 303 0223. If you need my support, please email me at satvir.kaur.mp@parliament.uk.
All this while Southern Water announced price increases, which are much higher than other suppliers. I’ll be questioning Southern Water about this too! For too long we’ve been badly let down by water companies like Southern Water, who instead of investing in our crumbling infrastructure have been paying their bosses millions. This has to stop. I’m pleased the new Labour government are finally putting an end to bosses being able to pay themselves bonuses while we all experience a shockingly poor service. It’s right that the government will be reviewing the sector, and working to transform the way our water system works. There will be tougher new measures so water companies can be held to account and simply can’t get away with what we experienced last week! The system is broken, and I’ll keep working hard to make sure it’s fit for purpose once more. People shouldn’t be paying more for a service that is failing them, we deserve more.
If you had any more questions or concerns about this issue or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me on satvir.Kaur.mp@parliament.uk or call me on 02382 546 357.