How Do Water Outages Affect Businesses And What Can You Do?

While prolonged water outages are rare in the UK, when they do happen they have significant consequences for both local businesses and residents. 

One such case has been highlighted recently. In December 2025, 24,000 residents and businesses in Tunbridge Wells were without mains drinking water for weeks. 

According to research conducted by the area’s MP Mike Martin, this cost local businesses collectively an estimated £20 million, which is roughly ten per cent of their average annual turnover. 

He has already campaigned for South East Water, which manages the area’s supply, to pay higher levels of compensation than that which is required under law. However, Mr Martin is calling for greater change.

In particular, he wants to see new leadership installed at South East Water, as well as a greater focus on improving the resilience of the area’s water supply. But is Tunbridge Wells the only part of the country at risk?

How a changing climate affects all of us…

In 2025, much of England experienced prolonged drought conditions, which disrupted water supplies and resulted in the Environment Agency issuing dozens of drought permits and drought orders to help manage the country’s water supplies. 

Although some might describe last year’s weather patterns as “exceptional”, the reality is that climate change is making our water supply less reliable.

For instance, the drought of 2025, which developed following an exceptionally dry spring and summer, came after the wettest 18 months on record in England to December 2024. Of course, many of us are currently experiencing near-record levels of rainfall this winter too.

But that isn’t a sign that all will be well this summer. As a nation, our water supply resilience is not as strong as it needs to be. 

By the end of December, there were still some areas classed as being in drought, while many more were in recovery with their water levels far from being back to normal. Since these figures were released, we have experienced exceptional levels of rain, particularly in the south. 

However, there are still questions over whether that will be enough to combat another long hot spring and summer, like we experienced in 2025. 

What else is causing challenges for our water supplies?

Chronic under investment by water companies has also led to challenges for water supplies around the country – and resulted in outages like those experienced in Tunbridge Wells. 

Many of England’s water companies are in considerable debt, which is restricting their ability to invest in vital infrastructure upgrades that could prevent leaks, burst pipes and other issues that disrupt water supplies for residents and businesses. 

How can businesses build their own water supply resilience?

The first step for any business looking to improve its own water supply resilience is to know who supplies its water. 

Unlike residential customers, who are tied to their local water company, business customers can switch water supplier if they choose. This makes the market much more competitive and allows you to shop around for a better level of service, as well as lower prices. 

What’s more, by shopping around you may discover a supplier who has experience of serving businesses in your industry, allowing them to tailor their offering to better meet your needs. This is likely to be valuable for any organisation that relies on a water supply to operate. 

Another important activity to undertake is a water audit to identify exactly how much water you are using and for what activities. 

This will help you when you’re looking to switch to a new water supplier too, because it will allow you to check that their offering matches your needs more precisely. A water audit can also flag up where you might have been billed incorrectly. 

For instance, if you are being charged for more water than you use – in some cases this can lead to significant refunds of up to £500,000 in overpaid water bills. 

If you are eligible for a hefty refund from your water supplier, you may want to consider using some of that money to invest in systems like rainwater harvesting too, which would give you greater control of your water supply and reduce your bills at the same time – win-win. 

While you may want to undertake a water audit yourself, we strongly recommend working with an experienced member of our team to ensure you don’t miss anything. Plus, if you operate over multiple sites, they will make the whole process more streamlined. 

This will allow you to focus on continuing to run your business while they’re exploring how much water you use and what for, to improve your business operations going forward.