[3] The history of the company can be traced back to Folkestone's first piped water supply.

Aside from the part of Kent which is closest to London, Folkestone was the first town in the county to have a public water supply operated under the powers of the Waterworks Clauses Act 1847 (10 & 11 Vict.

c. 17) – the act which opened the way to create water undertakings throughout the land.

Veolia Water Southeast was a water only company providing around 43 million litres of water a day to approximately 158,000 customers throughout Folkestone and Dover together with surrounding rural areas including Romney Marsh and Dungeness.

[7] The area served was entirely reliant on water stored underground in chalk or gravel aquifers, as there was no surface water from rivers or major reservoirs to draw on.