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Hastings Coast East Sussex

Hastings

Hastings has faced some real challenges including the supply issues in 2024 and the burst main at Christmas 2025. Over the next five years, we’re investing heavily in area to put things right and prevent future problems.

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Improvements across Hastings

We’re sorry for the disruption caused in Hastings. We’re carrying out major improvements to upgrade our network and strengthen the resilience of both our water and wastewater services to help keep taps running and protect homes, businesses and the coastal environment.

Darwell Reservoir on a sunny day

Reduce supply issues

We've started a multi-million-pound programme to replace 9km of the Darwell-Beauport pipe to prevent bursts and maintain a more reliable supply of high-quality drinking water. If our plans are approved, we’re planning to start construction before the end of 2026 and finish mid‑2029.

Prevent flooding

We’ve invested £9.3m to upgrade Rock-a-Nore and Galley Hill pumping stations to prevent storm-related flooding. A new offshore outfall pipe at Glyne Gap and a refurbished outfall at Pelham will also reduce flooding by making sure the treated wastewater is returned safely to the environment. 

Educating customers

Our outfall awareness pilot in Bexhill helps explain to customers the purpose surface water outfalls and their locations around Hastings. With a better understanding of surface water, we can all do our bit to decrease the amount going down the drain and prevent flooding. 

A timeline of major Hastings projects

Winter 2025/26

Pelham Beach outfall refurbished and monitored daily and work on the new outfall at Glyne Gap starts. The Darwell to Beauport pipe project also kicks off. 

Spring 2026

Upgrades to Bexhill and Hastings storm overflows begin. This work has been brought forward from 2028 and is part of a larger project to upgrade 22 storm overflows in East Sussex.  

Summer 2026

£50,000 funding for Hastings Borough Council to support their Public Relam and Green Connections. We also continue our Hastings Bathing Water Improvement Plan.

Summer 2029

The Darwell to Beauport 9km pipeline is completed.

2030

The upgrades to Hastings and Bexhill storm overflows finish. 

Improving bathing water quality

Hastings is a designated bathing water and is currently rated Good. Our ongoing investments aim to protect and improve this rating by reducing pollution and strengthening the resilience of our wastewater network in Hastings.

Our dedicated Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force use nature-base solutions to limit the amount of surface water entering our network to reduce storm overflows and protect bathing waters, rivers and other waterways across our region.

We’ve also developed a Hastings Bathing Water Improvement Plan, one of many regional improvement plans we’re putting into place to guide our long-term investment in specific areas.

As part of our Hastings Bathing Water Improvement Plan, we’re:

  • reducing the impact of storm overflow releases
  • testing water quality year-round
  • inspecting, maintaining and upgrading our assets 
  • identifying and fixing misconnected pipes
  • lining sewers to prevent cross‑contamination
  • supporting third‑party projects through partnerships and funding 
  • working with local communities to reduce pollution from homes, businesses and surface water drainage. 
hastings beach
inflatable fun swimming lessons in Hastings

Community projects

Our community team will be out and about in the local area offering a handful of initiatives to help support local businesses and charities. Our £1 million Goodwill Fund continues to offer financial support for those impacted by the loss of water supply. Community clubs and groups can now visit our Hastings Wastewater Treatment Works to find out what goes on behind the scenes as part of our Beyond the Drain tours.  

We continue to speak to nearby residents about our Coombe Pumping Station project to hear their views on the improvements there, including plans to showcase local artists. In partnership with Hastings Borough Council and Freedom Leisure, we've launched a £10,000 pilot grant scheme offering ten primary schools £1,000 towards swimming lessons. The funding supports transport, pool hire and teaching costs, helping pupils who may otherwise miss out. 

Your questions answered...

  • Sewer rehabilitation: We’ve carried out CCTV surveys and repairs across Bexhill, Hastings and St Leonards to make our sewer system more resilient.  
  • Illegal connections: We identified and corrected two properties that were connected to the wrong sewer, causing wastewater to leak onto the beach.
  • Outfall awareness pilot: We’ve introduced signs at surface water outfalls to help residents understand how they work and why they matter.
  • Sustainable drainage in schools: We’ve invested £80k into installing sustainable drainage systems in schools to manage surface water and teach students about water resilience.  
  • Water butts: We’ve gifted slow-drain water butts to customers to help reduce surface water runoff from their roofs.
  • Community green spaces: We’re supporting Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council on the Hastings Town Centre Public Realm Scheme, which aims to improve public spaces in the town centre and make the area more green, attractive, healthy and fun. 

We provide near real-time updates on all storm overflow releases in our region through Rivers and Seas Watch, our storm overflow monitoring service. Hosted on an interactive map, Rivers and Seas Watch shows storm overflow releases from every outfall in our region, along with their impact to bathing water quality. You can also sign up for email notifications on specific bathing waters and view historic release data in a filterable table.  

If you're struggling to pay your water bill, we offer a variety of support tariffs:  

  • Essentials – our Essentials tariff provides a discount of at least 45% if you’re on a low income or if everyone in your household receives pension credits.  
  • WaterSure – our WaterSure scheme helps by putting a limit on your charges for water and wastewater.  
  • Water Direct – our Water Direct tariff offers support if you’re claiming Income Support, Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employer Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Pension Credit.  
  • NewStart – If you’ve struggled to pay your water bill and find yourself in debt, our NewStart tariff can help pay it off with a payment plan.  

Find out more about our support tariffs, if you’re eligible, and how to apply. 

We have a dedicated Hastings e-newsletter, exclusively for customers in the area. You’ll receive quarterly emails keeping you updated with what we’re doing. Please check that the email address on your Southern Water account is up to date.