Alfriston, Berwick, Wilmington and Laughton :
No water or low pressure


We are extremely sorry to customers in Alfriston and surrounding areas who were without water or had low pressure following problems at our nearby water treatment works caused by heavy rainfall and flooding.

Supplies have been restored to the majority of customers in Berwick, Ripe, and Wilmington after we were able to change how water flows through our underground pipeline network.

Supplies to customers in the Selmeston area will return throughout the night.

There are a number of airlocks in the system, and we have technicians out and about in the area clearing them as they appear.

As water returns, we continue to ask customers only to use it for essential jobs, leaving other tasks until the supply is fully restored, as we must carefully and slowly return it to supply to avoid other issues.

The water supply problems were caused by heavy rainfall and flooding, which have resulted in technical problems at one of our water treatment works which supplies the area.


Service updates



Thursday, 29 February 2024
21:01 PM

Bottled water stations are now closed

We have now closed the bottled water stations


Thursday, 29 February 2024
20:01 PM

An update about your water supplies

Water is continuing to flow through the network with customers in Alfriston, Berwick and Wilmington now having their supplies restored.

Supplies to customers in the Selmeston area will return throughout this evening.

There are a number of airlocks in the system and we have technicians out and about in the area clearing them as they appear.

As water returns, we are continuing to ask customers to only use it for essential jobs leaving other tasks until the supply is fully restored as we must carefully and slowly return it to supply to avoid other issues.

Cloudy or discoloured water

People may see that their water appears cloudy or discoloured. This is normal following an interruption to supply and poses no risk to health. All customers need to do is run their cold water tap until the water turns clear.

Bottled water stations

Bottled water stations will remain open until 9pm at:

  • The Singing Kettle - 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD

  • Arlington Reservoir Car Park, Station Road, Berwick, BN26 6TF

Thursday, 29 February 2024
16:55 PM

Evening Update

Customers affected by the water supply interruptions in Alfriston, Berwick, Ripe, Wilmington and surrounding areas should have their water supplies restored.

When water returns, you may see some discolouration. While demand is high and water levels within our storage tank remain low, customers on higher ground may still have issues with their water supply.

We're asking customers to use water for essential use only, enabling us to refill the tank faster.

In the meantime, we have two bottled water stations open at

  • The Singing Kettle - 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD

  • Arlington Reservoir Car Park, Station Road, Berwick, BN26 6TF

We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and thank you for your patience.


Thursday, 29 February 2024
14:00 PM

Afternoon update

Customers affected by the water supply issues yesterday in Alfriston, Berwick, Ripe, Wilmington and surrounding areas should start to see their water supplies returning.

When water returns, you may see some discolouration. Usually, we advise running your tap until the water clears; however, although taps are flowing, water levels within our storage tank remain low.

We're asking customers to use water for essential use only, enabling us to refill the tank faster.

In the meantime, we have two bottled water stations open at

  • The Singing Kettle - 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD

  • Arlington Reservoir Car Park, Station Road, Berwick, BN26 6TF

We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and thank you for your patience.


Thursday, 29 February 2024
08:16 AM

Morning update

Our teams worked through the night to try and resolve the issues at our water treatment works caused by recent heavy rain and flooding, however the technical problems have persisted.

We’re sorry that customers in Alfriston and the surrounding area will have no water or intermittent supplies this morning.

Our teams are continuing work to resolve the issues at the water treatment works to restore supplies as soon as possible.

Bottled water stations will open again this morning and we will update our website with location details once they are available.


Wednesday, 28 February 2024
21:00 PM

Bottled water stations closed

Our teams continue to progress in resolving the issues at our treatment works. We're continuing to work through the night to restore supplies.

Some customers may have intermittent supplies throughout the night.

The bottled water stations are now closed.


Wednesday, 28 February 2024
16:40 PM

An evening update to your water supplies

Our teams continue to progress in resolving the issues at our treatment works. They will continue working through the evening and overnight to restore supplies.

We are using tankers to inject water into the Alfriston area so some customers may receive intermittent supplies this evening.

The bottled water stations below will remain open until 9pm tonight.

The Singing Kettle, 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD

Arlington Reservoir Car Park, Station Road, Berwick, BN26 6TF


Wednesday, 28 February 2024
14:10 PM

A further update to water supplies

We're sorry to Alfriston, Berwick, Wilmington and Laughton customers who remain without a water supply or no pressure. Our teams have been progressing well in resolving the issues at our treatment works today. They will continue working today and overnight to restore supplies. The bottled water station at The Singing Kettle, 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD will remain open until 9pm. We're looking to set up further stations today.


Wednesday, 28 February 2024
11:00 AM

Bottled water station open

We have opened a bottled water station at The Singing Kettle - 6 Waterloo Square, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UD


Wednesday, 28 February 2024
10:00 AM

Flooding incident

We're really sorry to the customers who remain without water due to the flooding in the area. Our expert technicians have worked throughout the night to restore supplies to customers. We'll continue to work on restoring supplies to you by injecting water into the network and moving water around from elsewhere on the network.

We appreciate your patience while we work to restore supplies.