South West Water fined £2.1m for pollution offences
The firm pleaded guilty to 13 offences between 2016 and 2020
South West Water has been given a £2.1m fine for a series of pollution offences across Devon and Cornwall over a four year period.
The Environment Agency says it's the largest fine ever imposed for environmental offences in the region.
The company had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing and District Judge Matson, sitting at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court sentenced the company on 13 charges – six for illegal water discharge activities and for seven offences of contravening environmental permit conditions.
The offences took place between July 2016 and August 2020 at Lostwithiel, Kilmington, Crediton and Torpoint sewage treatment works and the Watergate Bay sewage pumping station.
The EA says harmful chemicals escaped from SWW sites on more than one occasion which resulted in significant environmental damage including sites at Kilmington on the River Axe and in Crediton on the River Creedy.
Following the spill at Kilmington, thousands of fish died in the River Axe including some protected species.
In 2016 raw sewage was pumped into the River Fowey from the Lostwithiel site for more than 12 hours despite control room alarms indicating there was an issue with the works.
Not responding adequately to alarms the same year resulted in an illegal discharge from the Watergate Bay sewage pumping station in August 2016.
The discharge lasted for more than 35 hours and a sample taken from a stream at the beach showed E. coli levels to be 2,000 times higher than the level that would be classified as poor.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “We welcome this sentence.
"Serious pollution is a serious crime – and we have been clear that the polluter must pay."