South West Water (SWW) has been fined more than £7.8 million after a six year period of environmental offences in Devon and Cornwall.
The Judge at Plymouth Magistrates Court repeatedly found that the company’s conduct amounted to “reckless failures” in management system and response to known risks. This enabled the largest ever environmental offences fine in the region to be handed to SWW.
Clarissa Newell, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We hope this record fine will influence a new approach for South West Water, where protecting the environment takes priority in spending decisions.”
The company had pleaded guilty at earlier court hearings to 18 charges, 17 of which were for illegal water discharge activities and one for failing to take reasonable remedial measures following failure at a pumping station.
The offences took place between January 2015 and July 2021 across Bodmin, Harlyn, Playing Place, Polperro and Plymouth.
In response to the charges, SWW said: “Significant improvements have been made across the sites concerned, including an upgraded treatment process at Scarletts Well in Bodmin, the upgrades at Harlyn pumping station and the replacement of pumps at Halvarras pumping station.
“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.”
In one particular incident in 2019, sewage “gushed through the harbour wall” at Polperro Harbour and despite alarms firing, the company took 10 hours to attend.
On 231 occasions between January 2016 and July 2021, untreated sewage was discharged onto Harlyn beach, a location popular with locals and tourists.
At SWW’s sewage works near Bodmin, there were 336 illegal spills in the seven years to March 2020.
Sewage was also discharged into the River Camel in Cornwall more than 336 times.
SWW has previously pleaded guilty to six criminal charges relating to spills at Holywell Sewage Pumping Station but these will be considered at a later date. But for the charges currently in place, the company has 56 days to pay all penalties in full.
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