As the on-site Estate Management representative, I was notified at 15:45 on 18 January of a water issue and asked to share via WhatsApp that bottled water would be delivered to the Community Centre by 18:00.
The issue was traced to a newly connected water main, triggering reports of unusual tastes and chemical smells. As these increased on the morning of 18 January, IWN issued individual Do Not Use notices, then a site-wide notice at 17:00, followed by multi-media messaging and an email at 19:15. Residents were warned the water might be contaminated and told not to drink, wash with, bathe in, or cook with tap water.
When no bottled water arrived at 18:00, donated supplies from supermarkets were brought to the Community Centre and redistributed by volunteers. My role was to provide updates on the Community WhatsApp newsfeed, triage water requests, ask residents to check on neighbours and inform the school, and maintain an open phone line with IWN customer services to relay real-time updates.
Do Not Use restrictions lasted five days.
At 01:15 on Friday 19 January, pallets of bottled water arrived at the Community Centre, and six bottles were delivered to each doorstep. Marleigh Primary Academy and Monkey Puzzle Nursery were closed all day.
Later that morning, IWN distributed printed Do Not Use notices to all residents. Volunteers checked homes where water had not been taken in and redistributed supplies to neighbours who needed more. A BBC news team arrived, and I contacted my Chief Executive.
At 14:00, two IWN customer service representatives arrived at the Community Centre. They maintained a presence most days, working with technical colleagues, providing updates, and issuing receipts for residents’ out-of-pocket expenses (takeaway meals, laundry, gym showers, and alternative accommodation). The Community Centre operated as the main welfare hub, offering bottled water, support, and information.
Humanitarian assistance was led by me, with support from volunteers. No staff or elected members of South Cambridgeshire District Council were present.
At 16:15 on Monday 22 January, IWN changed the guidance from Do Not Use to Do Not Drink, allowing residents to resume limited washing and laundry.
Residents continued to seek support from the Community Centre.
No staff or elected members of South Cambridgeshire District Council were present.
The responsibility for welfare provision remained wholly within non-statutory support.
At lunchtime on Wednesday 24 January, IWN confirmed the water was now safe to drink and lifted the Do Not Drink notice.
The restriction was lifted during a Marleigh Steering Group meeting upstairs in the Community Centre. Notably, the live incident was absent from the agenda and was only presented at the end of the meeting.
As recorded in the Minutes of the meeting, I facilitated the attendance of the IWN customer service manager and the chief volunteer so the Steering Group could put questions directly to those overseeing on-site response activities.
I then outlined serious concerns about the ongoing welfare of residents, reported the lack of partner support and requested a lessons-learned review.
South Cambridgeshire District Council staff and elected members were present at the meeting upstairs only.
I continued to seek a lessons-learned review but received no support from my employer or our client, Hill-Marshall.
On 31 January, Hill-Marshall requested a meeting with my employer to discuss me and my role at Marleigh.
On 2 February, I briefed my Chief Executive ahead of his meeting with Hill-Marshall. During this briefing, I made legally protected whistleblowing disclosures. He then met with senior representatives of Hill-Marshall, who asked that I be removed from my position at Marleigh.
On 8 February, in a follow-up meeting with my Chief Executive, I made additional protected disclosures.
On 19 February 2024, I was relieved of my duties. On 6 March, I was formally suspended. On 2 July, I was dismissed for gross misconduct, a finding I formally dispute.
On 6 March, consultants working for Ofwat visited Marleigh to conduct a focus group. However, according to their report, the consultants did not recruit a representative sample of the community, raising concerns about the reliability and robustness of their findings.
On 26 March, IWN confirmed that fuel contamination was present in the soil around the newly laid water mains and that small quantities had entered the new main. The affected main has since been replaced with a new barrier-pipe main to prevent future contamination.
On 16 January 2025, DWI issued a letter setting out its statutory conclusions, findings, and enforcement requirements following the incident. Although addressed to IWN, the letter refers to both IWN and the Principal Contractor, Hill, only as 'the company', making it difficult to distinguish their respective responsibilities or failures within the text. This lack of clarity undermines transparency and limits the practical usefulness of the findings.
Because Hill is not explicitly named in the letter, references to construction matters (including contaminated soil, fuel tanks, trench depth, backfill issues, and mains-laying practices) are attributed only to 'the company'. This wording makes it unclear which organisation the Inspectorate intended to refer to in sections dealing with construction-related activities.
www.BeingVigilant.com