What we are doing in Crowborough

Interruptions to the drinking water supply in Crowborough have been frustrating for our customers in recent years.

We understand that the impact at times has been widespread, and that customers in the Crowborough, Rotherfield and Wadhurst areas have endured intermittent water supply, low pressure or no water at all.

This is unacceptable to us and we recognise the impact of this on the wider community.

Following the water supply issues experienced following the freeze-thaw in December 2022, we distributed a community fund of £50,000 to 21 charities and organisations in Crowborough and the surrounding areas.

This included the Crowborough Foodbank, Crowborough Community First Responders and Care for the Carers, and was in addition to individual compensation payments that were paid to affected customers.

Please be assured that we are working hard to put things right, both improving our operations and by investing in our network and across Sussex.

A thorough review of what happened has been conducted and we have learned lessons for the future, which include how to change the direction of water flows and increase transfers of water around our network.

This includes a £185,000 project to replace approximately 300 metres of an ageing, burst-prone water main in Steep Road, Crowborough.

The pipe had burst 17 times in five years prior to being replaced, which resulted in some customers experiencing no water or low pressure, which was unacceptable to us.

We have also installed 185 metres of new pipeline in Buttons Lane, Wadhurst, replacing an old, unreliable main which had burst 16 times in the three years before being replaced.

By completing this vital work, we have reduced the likelihood of disruptive bursts and significant repairs.

Work is already underway on the installation of a new water main between Bewl Water Treatment Works (WTW) and drinking water storage tanks in Wadhurst and Rotherfield, which is one of three substantial projects ongoing in East Sussex.

Elsewhere, in 2022, we completed a project to install 900 metres of new water pipe in Brookhouse Bottom and Perryman’s Lane, Uckfield.

This £400,000 investment replaced an ageing and unreliable water main that had burst three times, causing significant disruption in the local area.

In addition, we installed 550 metres of water main in Lewes Road, Uckfield in 2022 to help maintain water pressure for customers as a result of increased demand.

Meanwhile, in 2023, we also replaced 130m of the water main in Keld Drive, Uckfield with a brand new pipe as part of our ongoing programme of investment.

In total, we’re investing £80 million to improve our infrastructure within Sussex, with significant upgrades to our Bewl WTW and 6.5 kilometres of water main being replaced between Heathfield and Rushlake Green via Punnetts Town.

In addition, we have improved pumping capability across parts of Sussex and our water treatment sites have been made more resilient, helping to maximise our raw water storage over the winter period.

As part of our water resources management plan(opens in a new tab) for the next 50 years, we are also carrying out early feasibility studies on long term plans to a second reservoir at Arlington near Eastbourne, which would provide an additional 18 million litres of water each day to our Sussex network.

Water recycling at Peacehaven Wastewater Treatment Works is also being considered as part of our plan to ensure we are ready, if needed, to adapt to future uncertainty.

These projects are part of our commitment to significant investment, with £489 million being spent across our network between 2020 and 2025.

In addition, we have submitted our most ambitious business plan ever to the water regulator Ofwat, with proposals to spend £1.9 billion to ensure the security of our water supply and improve resilience across our network.