Stock Market 6 January 2026

Britain’s Drinking Water Inspectorate said a breakdown at South East Water’s Pembury treatment works in Kent that left 24,000 homes around Tunbridge Wells without safe drinking water for two weeks was spotted weeks earlier and could have been stopped. Chief inspector Marcus Rink told MPs the firm failed to run tests requested by the regulator and to install a filter to stop heavy metals after a key treatment chemical failed, and he said it was “flying blind”. Rink added: “It shouldn’t have been a surprise,” while chief executive David Hinton said the incident followed a raw-water chemistry change not seen in 20 years and pointed to rising demand and climate pressures. The Guardian The evidence session is part of Parliament’s inquiry into reforming the water sector and follows the Tunbridge Wells supply failure late last year. Residents in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding villages were told on Nov. 29 that tap water was unsafe to drink, bathe, brush teeth with or give to pets, Parliament’s committees website said. UK Parliament Committees