South East Water (SEW) is wasting more than 100 million litres of water per day through leakages, Ofwat data has revealed.
Data shows the company lost 104 million litres of water – equivalent to around 500 million cups of tea – to leaks every single day last year.
The Ofwat figures show that the amount of water leaked increased by 8% in 2024-25 compared with 2019-20, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The Ofwat figures emerged after an inquiry by Kent County Council into supply problems in the county.
Marc Sims, from SEW, said the company was “working hard” to reduce leakage across its network.
He said SEW had “brought in additional repair teams to assist”.
SEW raised its prices by an average of 7% from April, bringing the average yearly bill to £324.
SEW said the rise was needed to invest more money in improving customer service, reducing supply interruptions and strengthening its resilience.
Councillors pointed to a slew of failures by the water company, including poor communication, alongside the negative effect disruptions had had on farming businesses, education and the care sector.
Ofwat has proposed fining the water company £22m over issues affecting 286,000 people in Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023.
Sims, SEW’s head of asset management, said in 2025 the company found and fixed more than 21,000 leaks on its network and another 6,000 customer-side leaks.
“This is around a 10% increase on the previous year. We have an ongoing programme of maintaining, renewing and refurbishing water mains. Maintaining and upgrading our network is a top priority at South East Water.”
Kent County councillor Antony Hook said the “clean, treated” water being lost could supply more than 700,000 people – more than a third of the entire population of Kent – daily.
It comes after thousands of SEW customers in Kent experienced spells without running water or an inconsistent supply in May – at times during hot weather.
The water company had put in place a hosepipe ban affecting 1.4 million customers in Sussex and Kent last year and there is a good chance of more in 2026 if the heatwaves continue.
