Home / Environment / Water Firm Fined £8m for Six Years of Pollution
Water Firm Fined £8m for Six Years of Pollution
29 Sep
Summary
- South West Water received a fine of £7,867,733 for 18 pollution offenses.
- Offences occurred between 2015 and 2021 across Cornwall and Devon.
- The company is investing £760m to tackle storm overflows and reduce spills.
South West Water has been ordered to pay a significant fine of £7,867,733 following a six-year period of pollution-related offences. The company previously entered guilty pleas concerning incidents that took place between 2015 and 2021. These offences spanned multiple locations in Cornwall and Devon.
The investigation by the Environment Agency uncovered 18 charges against the water company. Of these, 17 related to illegal discharge activities, including sewage releases. One charge involved a failure to implement adequate remedial measures after an issue at a sewage pumping station.
In a statement following the sentencing, South West Water issued an apology for past events, describing the matters as historic and primarily involving storm overflow use. The company highlighted its ongoing investment of £760 million aimed at tackling storm overflows, reporting a 17% reduction in spills and a 25% decrease in spill duration over the past year.
South West Water also asserted that substantial improvements have been implemented at the sites where pollution previously occurred. The company expressed a commitment to future actions, detailing plans for record investment to achieve cleaner rivers and seas across the South West by 2040, a decade earlier than national targets.
