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MPs accuse South East Water leaders of incompetence over repeated outages

30 April 2026 at 23:01

Parliamentary committee takes unusual step of declaring no confidence in executives at utility provider

MPs have accused the leadership of South East Water of incompetence over repeated water outages for tens of thousands of customers, and expressed no confidence in their ability to reform the company.

MPs from across the political spectrum said David Hinton, SEW’s chief executive, and the board of directors operated a culture of unaccountability at the company, which provides drinking water for 2.3 million customers in Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Three boys and two men charged over rape of teenage girl in Kent

24 April 2026 at 21:37

Four accused of rape and one of aiding and abetting rape in connection with incident in Gravesend

Three boys and two men have been charged over the rape of a teenage girl in Kent, police said.

Kent police received reports on Tuesday that a girl had been raped at a private property in Gravesend between 25 March and 19 April.

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© Photograph: George Sweeney/Alamy

© Photograph: George Sweeney/Alamy

© Photograph: George Sweeney/Alamy

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