Image description: aerial view of a sewage treatment plan. Image by Patrick Federi on Unsplash 

Southern Water has completed more than 1,000 actions prompted by an Ofwat investigation in 2019. 

The actions included operational and compliance improvements across 293 wastewater treatment works, £126 million in penalties and redress, organisational changes, and routine inspections as part of its standard operations. 

Ofwat says water firm must now go further

Following Ofwat’s confirmation that Southern Water has met all the requirements from its 2019 investigation, the regulator has now said the company must go further in areas that were not a focus of the previous investigation to fully meet the standards that the law sets out. 

The utility company has pledged further action to fully meet legal standards and wider wastewater obligations. Southern Water will now develop and implement a remediation plan to address remaining requirements. 

 Shareholders have reportedly already committed £11.5 million towards improvements, with an additional £2 million now pledged following Ofwat’s latest assessment. This brings total investment to £13.5 million for works due to be completed by 2030. It has been state that none of this funding will come from customer bills. 

The new investment includes £2 million for wetland restoration at Nursling, Southampton, and £5.5 million for the company’s sewer level monitoring programme. 

It is hoped the further commitments will bridge the gap between Ofwat’s original investigation in 2019 and its current wastewater investigation, which is looking into all wastewater companies in England and Wales.