05 May 2026
Southern Water pleads guilty to sewage pollution weeks after record £90m fine
Photo by Bob Brewer Southern Water has pleaded guilty to five pollution offences in north Kent, including discharges of untreated sewage into coastal waters that occurred just weeks after the company was handed what was then the largest criminal fine ever imposed on a water company. The Environment Agency confirmed on 27 April that […]
17 Mar 2026
South West Water guilty of illegal sewage discharges
Photo by Ivan Bandura South West Water has pleaded guilty to 18 charges of water pollution spanning six years, in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency that concluded at Plymouth Magistrates Court on 12 March 2026. Sentencing is expected on 4 June 2026. The charges relate to illegal discharges including raw sewage spills at five […]
02 Apr 2024
Huge increase in storm overflows
According to the Environment Agency there were 3.6 million hours of spills compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022. Water UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, said it was ‘unacceptable’ but the record levels were due to heavy rain. Sewage spilling can be legal but environmentalists say it should only happen in exceptional weather. […]
22 May 2023
Reactions to apologies from Water UK for sewage spills
The privately owned companies have apologised for the amount of contaminated water being discharged into rivers and seas, amid mounting public anger over the practice. Ruth Kelly, the organisation’s chair, told BBC News: “We’re sorry about the upset and the anger from the fact that there have been overspills of untreated sewage onto beaches and […]
23 Aug 2022
Sewage alerts on beaches as storms arrive
Pollution warnings were put in place for dozens of beaches in England and Wales after untreated sewage was discharged into the sea around the coast. Southern Water is one of the water companies responsible for those regions, along with Wessex Water and South West Water. In a statement, they said: “There were thunderstorms accompanied by […]
04 Jan 2017
Southern Water fined £2m for a succession of failures
These fines are piling up given recent changes in the scale of fines allowed, highlighting failures in investment and systems. The Environment Agency think this trend will decline up to 2020. Southern Water fined record £2m for sewage leak on Kent beaches Thanet council forced to close beaches for nine days due to ‘catastrophic’ leakage […]
25 May 2016
Record Fines for Sewage Pollution because new sentencing rules
Guardian: ‘Water companies have been hit by a series of record fines for major sewage leaks and other pollution incidents. Yorkshire Water was fined £1.1m for illegally discharging sewage that polluted the river Ouse near York, while Thames Water was fined £1m for repeated sewage leaks into the Grand Union canal. The financial penalties have […]
