The chief executive of a water company that spent last winter making tens of thousands of people miserable has done the decent thing and resigned, presumably to find a job where nobody expects him to deliver water reliably.

South East Water announced that David Hinton had decided to step down, but will hang around for the summer like an awkward houseguest “to allow an orderly transition.” The company explained that Hinton felt his position had become “an increasing distraction” from their priority of, well, providing water. One might argue that the lack of water was the real distraction.

Hinton’s exit comes after 24,000 properties in Kent and Sussex lost water or suffered low pressure in November and December, followed by another 30,000 facing similar issues just weeks later. Several MPs had called for his head, and his departure follows that of chair Chris Train, who quit a week earlier after a damning select committee report.

Interim chair Lisa Clement thanked Hinton for his “many years of loyal dedication and service,” which is corporate speak for “we’re very sorry you’re leaving but please leave faster.”

Mike Martin, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, noted the timing was convenient: “From South East Water’s point of view it’s a good day to bury bad news with the results of the local elections.” He called Hinton’s resignation “the right thing,” but stressed the need for new leadership - preferably from outside, because clearly the inside was a disaster.

Mims Davies, MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield, demanded a quick handover and “a feeling of change ASAP,” describing customers as “beleaguered” and businesses as “fed up,” all dreading what spring and summer might bring. “It’s always difficult when someone has to take the rap,” she said, “but there was a fundamental lack of confidence.”

Alistair Carmichael MP, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, agreed resignation was “obviously the right thing,” but cautioned that South East Water isn’t off the hook yet. “This is a company that hasn’t started the necessary process of turning things around,” he said, adding that the committee’s 1 May report accused the firm of poor leadership, weak governance, and a culture where nobody was held accountable - which, to be fair, is now slightly less true.

The worst of the trouble hit Tunbridge Wells from 29 November to 4 December, when most of the town had low or no tap water due to a disinfection problem at Pembury Water Treatment Works. Residents were told to boil water for nine days after it returned. January brought more outages in East Grinstead, Maidstone, and Canterbury, blamed on Storm Goretti and cold weather - because apparently water companies can’t handle weather anymore.