SEW head of health and safety, Mike Pickard, said: “We completely understand how frustrating and upsetting it is to be without water, particularly when people are trying to look after their families, go to work and carry on with their daily lives.
“We apologise unreservedly for the persistent issues and disruption this ongoing situation continues to cause our customers.”
Meanwhile, the water company is urging customers to treat its frontline teams with patience after it had reports of staff being threatened and vehicles being attacked.
Pickard stressed: “No-one should face threats, intimidation or violence simply for doing their job”.
He added: “If our teams feel unsafe, they may have no choice but to leave an area.”
On Monday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the situation was “simply not good enough.”
A spokesperson said the company’s new leadership “must now deliver a step change in performance, where customers’ needs are prioritised”.
SEW was the first water firm to issue a hosepipe ban this summer, having barred 850,000 customers in Kent on 3 July.
This ban was extended to parts of Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire about three weeks later.
