South West Water has been fined £7,867,733 for environmental offences at sites across Devon and Cornwall, after a judge described its management systems and response to known risks as involving “reckless failures”.
The fine was imposed at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on 29 September following a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency. The agency said it was the largest fine for environmental offences imposed in the region.
South West Water pleaded guilty to 18 charges: 17 relating to illegal water discharge activities and one concerning a failure to take reasonable remedial measures after a pumping station failure. The offences took place between January 2015 and July 2021 in Bodmin, Harlyn, Playing Place, Polperro and Plymouth.
Hundreds of pollution incidents
The Environment Agency said hundreds of sewage spills occurred over the six-year period at bathing waters and sensitive habitats.
At Harlyn beach, untreated sewage was discharged on 231 occasions between January 2016 and July 2021. The agency also recorded 336 illegal spills at South West Water’s sewage works near Bodmin in the seven years to March 2020.
District judge Matson said it was “significant and incredibly concerning” that such a large number of spills at the Bodmin site had not been identified by the company.
At Polperro Harbour, untreated sewage entered the harbour on 24 August 2019 during a bank holiday weekend. South West Water took 10 hours to attend the incident and was fined £1.1m for that offence.
In Plymouth, the company failed to provide a permanent solution for a combined sewer entering Budshead Creek in Whitleigh. The Environment Agency issued multiple formal warnings over several years. The pipe eventually collapsed in 2020, causing raw sewage to enter the watercourse and resulting in two pollution incidents in August and September that year.
Judge Matson said that “incidents of pollution will not be tolerated”. The Environment Agency said the court found South West Water had sought to minimise its role in the offending rather than showing remorse and accepting full responsibility.
Company cites historic offences and investment
South West Water was also ordered to pay £329,993 in costs and a £120 victim surcharge. It has 56 days to pay the penalties in full.
The Environment Agency said the company had previously pleaded guilty to six criminal charges relating to spills at Holywell Sewage Pumping Station. Those charges will be considered at a later date. South West Water was fined £2.15m in 2023 after being prosecuted over 13 charges relating to incidents between July 2016 and August 2020.
Clarissa Newell, area environment manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Hundreds of pollution incidents occurred at some of the most scenic locations in Cornwall and Devon, including bathing waters, a designated Special Area of Conservation and a priority habitat.”
She added: “We hope this record fine will influence a new approach for South West Water, where protecting the environment takes priority in spending decisions.”
A South West Water spokesperson said the proceedings concerned historic matters between 2015 and 2021, with most charges relating to the use of overflows during storm conditions.
The company said it was investing £760m to tackle storm overflows, had reduced spills by 17% in the previous year and cut spill duration by 25%. It also cited improvements including a new treatment process at Scarletts Well in Bodmin, upgrades at Harlyn pumping station, replacement pumps at Halvarras pumping station and work to remove surface water and illegal connections from the network.
“We apologise for what happened in the past, and we remain focused on the future as we deliver record levels of investment to achieve cleaner rivers and seas across the South West by 2040, a decade ahead of national targets,” the spokesperson said.