Southern Water faces sewage dumping sentencing

Southern Water is scheduled for sentencing following its guilty plea to 13 charges concerning illegal sewage discharges. These offences occurred at wastewater pumping stations in Margate and Broadstairs between 2019 and 2021. The illegal dumping resulted in the closure of numerous beaches in Thanet for extended periods, causing substantial economic and tourism damage to the area.

The two-day sentencing hearing began on Thursday at Canterbury Crown Court. The court heard that nine of the charges relate to untreated sewage being dumped, while three concern failures to notify authorities promptly, a breach of the company's environmental permit. A further conviction stems from the failure to maintain a standby pump at the Margate station, also a permit violation.