The Tunbridge Wells incident and Ofwat investigations reveal that South East Water’s leadership has repeatedly proved itself incapable of implementing the lessons learnt from previous incidents, even simple ones such as having a communication strategy for when resolution timeframes are unclear. While the company was clearly trying to learn from its previous mistakes, it caused more problems in doing so, indicative of an inability to understand and resolve core problems. This is not through lack of warnings or proposed solutions, but an inability to adapt swiftly to mitigate future risks. Despite claims that they are otherwise a “good company”, this has manifested in a shocking performance, failing to deliver the basic function of a water company: delivering water. No other metrics of success can offset this fundamental shortcoming. (Conclusion, Paragraph 56)