10 Sep 2025
South West Water is facing legal proceedings following a cryptosporidium outbreak that affected thousands of residents in Devon. As reported by the BBC, the water company has been summoned to court over the contamination incident that led to widespread illness and a boil water notice for over 17,000 households. The outbreak, which occurred in […]
12 Jun 2024
From The Guardian South West Water has taken a legal stake in a customer’s home after she withheld her bill payments in a protest over sewage dumping in rivers and the sea. Thousands of water company customers are thought to be withholding payments but this is the first known case of a company enforcing a […]
22 May 2024
South West Water says that around 2,500 properties in the Brixham area of Devon continue to be impacted by a boil water notice. Around 17,000 households were impacted over the weekend. The boil water notice was initially put in place after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed it is investigating cases of cryptosporidium, which […]
26 Apr 2023
South West Water has announced that its ongoing hosepipe ban now includes Cornwall and parts of Devon, and that restrictions could last until December. The company says that “our water resources across the region remain under pressure and as we go into the summer period we have taken the necessary action to safeguard supplies and […]
07 Jul 2022
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) has warned of a betrayal of customers’ trust after South West Water joined a list of six sewerage companies facing the threat of enforcement action over their management of wastewater treatment plants. The voice for water consumers has responded to the announcement by Ofwat that it is opening an enforcement case against […]
29 Jun 2022
The regulator Ofwat has expanded its investigation into the dumping of raw sewage to include South West Water after finding “shocking” failures in the way the majority of water companies run their waste treatment works. Ofwat said on Tuesday it had extended its inquiry after heightened concerns about South West Water’s environmental performance and suggestions it was not complying […]
03 Mar 2021
The water company is working in partnership with local landowners, North Devon Biosphere Foundation, the Environment Agency, the Woodland Trust and Natural England’s Catchment Sensitive Farming Partnership to identify areas where tree planting, hedging and fencing can help protect the River Umber from bacteriological contamination. The River Umber flows into the sea at Combe Martin […]
