Hastings Faces Potential Christmas Water Outage as Southern Water Races to Fix Burst Main

Emergency Repairs Underway in Hastings

Hastings, United Kingdom – Thousands of households in Hastings and surrounding areas are facing the prospect of a Christmas without water, as Southern Water works urgently to repair a burst mains pipe. The leak, located in a woodland north of Hastings, was discovered on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, prompting immediate action from the utility provider.

Southern Water has warned that customers could begin to experience a loss of supply from the evening of Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, as the system rapidly loses water. Teams have been working through the night to expose and remove the damaged section of the pipe, with efforts now focused on fitting a new length. Despite progress, the risk of supply interruption remains for Wednesday evening.

Precautionary Measures and Customer Advice

In response to the potential outage, Southern Water has implemented several precautionary measures. Emergency bottled water deliveries commenced on Tuesday evening for vulnerable households registered on their Priority Services Register, covering postcodes including TN31, TN33, TN34, TN35, TN36, TN37, and TN38. Approximately 15,000 vulnerable customers have already received bottled water.

Bottled water stations are also being prepared for opening today, Wednesday, December 24, with locations to be announced. Customers are strongly advised 'not to use more water than usual, and not to stockpile mains water, as this will make the situation worse,' according to Southern Water. A fleet of tankers is on standby to inject water directly into the network if required, particularly for critical sites like hospitals and care homes.

Official Statements and Historical Context

Tim McMahon, Southern Water's MD for Water, stated, 'We are taking these measures as a precaution against a worst case scenario and impact on supply tomorrow evening. Our teams will fix the burst main as quickly as possible.' He also thanked the community for their understanding and cooperation in conserving water.

This incident is not an isolated event for Hastings. The area experienced a four-day water outage in May 2024 due to another burst pipe, which had been identified for replacement as far back as 2007 but remained unfixed. Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings, Rye and the Villages, expressed her 'deep frustration' at the recurring issues, stating, 'I'm deeply frustrated that Hastings is once again paying the price for Southern Water's failures.' Southern Water has announced an £80 million investment plan for Hastings, which includes fully replacing the problematic pipe over the next three years, with work scheduled to begin in the new year.

Outlook for Christmas

While the best-case scenario is no interruption to supplies, Southern Water anticipates that if water is lost on Christmas Eve, supplies are expected to return by Christmas morning. The company continues to provide updates as repairs progress, aiming to restore full service as quickly as possible during the festive period.