South West Water pleaded guilty to 18 charges linked to pollution incidents between 2015 and 2021. (Photo: Shutterstock) South West Water has been fined £7,867,733 for hundreds of illegal sewage spills across Devon and Cornwall, with a judge describing the company’s management failures as reckless. The record penalty is the largest ever imposed for environmental offences in the region.South West Water was fined at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on September 29 after pleading guilty to 18 charges relating to pollution incidents between January 2015 and July 2021. The charges included 17 illegal water discharge offences and one charge for failing to take reasonable remedial measures after a pumping station failure, as reported by SWNS. The Environment Agency said hundreds of incidents occurred at popular bathing locations, conservation sites and environmentally sensitive areas across Devon and Cornwall.District Judge Matson said “incidents of pollution will not be tolerated” and repeatedly criticised South West Water’s handling of known risks. The court found that the company’s conduct amounted to reckless failures in its management systems and response to known problems. £1.1 million fine over Polperro sewage spill One of the incidents highlighted by the court occurred at Polperro Harbour on August 24, 2019, during a bank holiday weekend.According to the Environment Agency, untreated sewage “gushed through the harbour wall” at the popular Cornwall destination. Despite alarms being triggered, South West Water took around 10 hours to attend the incident.The company was fined £1.1 million in relation to the single incident. 231 sewage discharges at Harlyn beach Harlyn beach recorded 231 untreated sewage discharges over several years. (Photo: SWNS) The court also heard that untreated sewage was discharged onto Harlyn beach on 231 occasions between January 2016 and July 2021.The beach is popular with both local residents and tourists, making the repeated pollution incidents particularly significant.At South West Water’s sewage works near Bodmin, there were 336 illegal spills in the seven years leading up to March 2020. The court also heard that sewage was discharged into the River Camel more than 336 times.Judge Matson described the number of spills that went undetected by South West Water as “significant and incredibly concerning.” Warnings ignored before Budshead Creek pollution Another case involved a combined sewer entering Budshead Creek in the Whitleigh area of Plymouth.Despite receiving multiple formal warnings from the Environment Agency over several years, South West Water failed to provide a permanent solution. The pipe eventually collapsed in 2020, resulting in raw sewage entering the watercourse and causing two pollution incidents in August and September that year.The judge found that South West Water knew the pipe was precarious but failed to address the problem for years. Environment Agency welcomes record fine Sewage was discharged into Cornwall’s River Camel more than 336 times, according to the court hearing. (Photo: SWNS) Clarissa Newell, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said hundreds of pollution incidents had taken place at some of Devon and Cornwall’s most scenic and environmentally important locations.“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,” Newell said.She added that South West Water had promised the public that “one pollution is too many” and said Environment Agency officers would continue to hold the company accountable.“We hope this record fine will influence a new approach for South West Water, where protecting the environment takes priority in spending decisions,” she said. Judge criticises South West Water’s response Although South West Water pleaded guilty to the charges, Judge Matson found that the company had not fully accepted responsibility for its actions and had attempted to minimise its role in the offending.The judge also referred to South West Water’s stated mantra that “one pollution is too many”, saying the company must carry that commitment forward to ensure that incidents of the scale seen in these cases do not happen again.South West Water has 56 days to pay the penalties in full.The company was previously prosecuted in 2023 over 13 charges relating to incidents between July 2016 and August 2020 and was fined £2.15 million. South West Water responds to £7.8 million penalty A South West Water spokesperson said the proceedings concerned historic matters dating from 2015 to 2021 and that the majority of the charges related to the use of overflows during storm conditions.“These proceedings concern historic matters between 2015 and 2021 and the majority of the charges concerned the use of overflows in storm conditions,” the spokesperson said.The company said it is investing £760 million to tackle storm overflows and claimed that spills had fallen by 17% in the previous year, while spill duration had decreased by 25%.South West Water also pointed to improvements at the sites involved, including an upgraded treatment process at Scarletts Well in Bodmin, upgrades at Harlyn pumping station and replacement pumps at Halvarras pumping station.“These upgrades also include additional investment in the catchment to remove surface water and illegal connections into the drainage network,” the spokesperson said.The company apologised for the historic incidents and said it remained focused on investment aimed at achieving cleaner rivers and seas across the South West by 2040. Government says water companies will face consequences Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said the sentence demonstrated that water companies could face serious consequences if they failed to meet their obligations.“This sentence sends a clear message: if water companies wilfully ignore their obligations, they will face the full consequences of their actions,” Eagle said.“For six years, South West Water repeatedly broke the law, polluting our most visited and loved beaches. Communities across Devon and Cornwall deserve better.”Eagle added that the government was overhauling the water system with tougher regulation, stronger enforcement and greater accountability, with the stated aim of ensuring water companies deliver for customers and the environment. 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