Charities in the Maidstone and the Weald constituency of Helen Grant MP are being invited to apply for grants from a special Community Fund set up by South East Water, following the supply problems some customers experienced last December.
These water supply issues were related to prolonged cold weather and then rapid rise in temperatures affecting pipes both on South East Water’s network and in customers’ houses.
Over the space of just 24 hours the south east experienced a rapid rise in temperature of 20 degrees from minus seven to plus 13 which led to an outbreak of bursts and leaks on the pipe network that drained water supplies.
Those customers directly affected have been personally compensated, however recognising the wider impact on the community, the company has also set up a £30,000 community fund to help charities in the constituency.
Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and the Weald said: “The team at South East Water has a big challenge on their hands to modernise their supply infrastructure and avoid future outages like those we suffered last Christmas and I will be monitoring progress.
“I welcome, however, the compensation that has been paid to many of the families and businesses which suffered, and I commend this community charity fund initiative wholeheartedly. I am sure there will be many applications and I look forward to reviewing them with South East Water at the end of April.”
Tanya Sephton, Customer Services Director, South East Water, said: “We know this was a very tough time for the whole community, especially as it happened during the festive season.
“The weather is outside of our control, and when sudden, big changes in temperature happen, it can have a huge impact, causing leaks and bursts both on our network and on customers’ pipework. This is what happened in December.
“We take our role as a local responsible water company seriously and wanted to thank Maidstone and the Weald residents for their understanding.
“We take our role as a local responsible water company seriously and wanted to thank Maidstone and the Weald residents for their understanding. This is a gesture which will have a long-term benefit for everyone, and there’s no better way than to support the tireless work of the great causes which are right at the heart of the community. A big thank you to them all.”
Applications can be made at www.southeastwater.co.uk/maidstoneweald (opens in a new tab). The closing date for applications is 5pm on 21 April.
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