The head of South East Water has resigned after mounting criticism over major outages that left thousands of customers without running water.
David Hinton stepped down following months of pressure over repeated supply failures affecting homes across Kent and East Sussex.
On Friday, South East Water confirmed Mr Hinton would step down from his role.
A spokesperson said: "Mr Hinton has decided to step down as he feels his position has become an increasing distraction from South East Water’s most important priority, which is to deliver a resilient water supply for its customers.
"He will remain in post to allow an orderly transition over the summer period and continued momentum of the transformation plan while the Board undertakes the process of finding a replacement.
"Further details will be announced in due course."
The board said it remained focused on speeding up targeted engineering works and making operational changes to improve the resilience of the supply network.
It added the measures would also help increase water capacity and quality in priority areas as part of a company-wide transformation plan.
Mr Hinton's exit comes just one week after Chris Train, the company's independent non-executive chair, also departed following a scathing parliamentary inquiry into the firm's handling of major supply disruptions.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published a highly critical assessment that branded South East Water's senior figures an "unaccountable clique" and accused the organisation of inadequate leadership, poor governance and a culture lacking accountability.
South East Water was hit with a £22million fine for what regulators have described as 'significant failures' in its service
| SOUTH WEST WATERIn what MPs described as an "unusual but necessary step", the cross-party committee issued a formal declaration of no confidence in the company's executives, citing their failure to address "multiple and ongoing failures" affecting customers across the region.
The supply crisis began in the run-up to Christmas, with approximately 24,000 properties across Kent and East Sussex experiencing disruptions during November and December. Weeks later, up to 30,000 homes endured several days of water chaos.
Pressure on Mr Hinton grew after it emerged he received a £115,000 bonus in 2025 on top of his £400,000 yearly salary.
During the hearing, Mr Hinton admitted South East Water "should have acted quicker" after "early warning signs" emerged at the Pembury water treatment works last year.
He also told MPs the company’s response had been "too slow and unstructured".
South East Water chief executive David Hinton sat before a select affairs committee earlier this year
| PAThe incident also meant some businesses were estimated to have lost between £10million and £20million as a result of the crisis.
Julian Leefe-Griffiths, proprietor of the Tunbridge Wells Hotel who estimates losses exceeding £60,000 from the outages, told BBC Radio Kent that South East Water is "an utterly shambolic company delivering a truly appalling service".
Tunbridge Wells resident Daphne Pilcher criticised "the overall lack of honesty... and personal greed" among company leaders.
South East Water issued an apology to customers for the disruptions and acknowledged the "resulting loss of public trust in the company".
Mr Hinton has not publicly commented on the emergency | SOUTH EAST WATERThe company said it plans to double investment in its water supply infrastructure over the next five years.
The board added it would speed up engineering works and make operational changes aimed at improving the resilience of the network and increasing water capacity in key areas as part of a wider transformation plan.
Lisa Clement, Interim Independent Non-Executive Chair, said: "The Board acknowledges and thanks Dave for his many years of loyal dedication and service to South East Water."
In a statement posted on Friday, the company’s Independent Non-Executive Chair thanked Mr Hinton for his "loyal dedication and service" to the business.