Enforcement action
Southern Water — record penalty for wastewater offences
Environment Agency / Crown Court action against Southern Water: Thousands of illegal discharges of untreated sewage from wastewater treatment works between 2010 and 2015, together with deliberate misreporting.
Key facts
- Regulator or court
- Environment Agency / Crown Court
- Subject
- Southern Water
- Date
- 2021-07-09
- Penalty
- £90 million
Violation
Thousands of illegal discharges of untreated sewage from wastewater treatment works between 2010 and 2015, together with deliberate misreporting.
Outcome
Guilty plea to 51 counts. The largest fine imposed on a water company in England and Wales.
Related intelligence
Kielder Watersame placeRutland Watersame placeChalk aquifer of southern Englandsame placeBroad Street cholera outbreaksame placeThe Great Stinksame placeCamelford water pollution incidentsame placeThe 1976 droughtsame placeThe 2022 droughtsame placeYorkshire droughtsame placeDevon Cryptosporidium outbreaksame placeThames Water — Thames pollution finesame placeYorkshire Water — Ofwat enforcement packagesame place
Sources
- Environment Agency — Environment Agency open data catalogue. Open — attribution required · Open Government Licence v3.0
- Water Services Regulation Authority — Water company performance and price review data. Open — attribution required · Open Government Licence v3.0
- United States Environmental Protection Agency — Enforcement and Compliance History Online. Open · US Government work — public domain