The chief executive of South East Water has announced plans to step down, a week after the group’s chair quit in the wake of major supply outages in Kent and Sussex. The supplier said David Hinton , who joined the board in 2013, would stay in post to allow an “orderly transition” over the summer while the group hunts for his successor. “He feels his position has become an increasing distraction from South East Water’s most important priority, which is to deliver a resilient water supply for its customers,” the company said. Chris Train resigned as non-executive chair last week after a scathing report by MPs, who said they had “no confidence” in the company’s leadership. Bosses at South East Water were grilled twice by MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) committee over their response to multiple supply interruptions across Kent and Sussex. Thousands of customers were left unable to access tap water, shower or flush their toilets during the outages between November and January.…