Southern Water fined £2.4m for Kent sewage

Southern Water has been ordered to pay £2.4 million after a series of sewage pollution incidents along the Kent coast. The Environment Agency prosecuted the water company for releasing untreated sewage, sewage debris, diesel, and other waste matter into the sea and a local brook over a two-year period.

According to the agency, the incidents occurred at multiple locations, with two happening simultaneously on different parts of Southern Water's network. The pollution disrupted local businesses and forced beach closures, killing fish and eels.

A Pattern of Pollution

The first reported incident was in July 2019. Residents reported seeing and smelling diesel in Swalecliffe Brook in Whitstable. Environment Agency staff deployed absorbent booms after a generator leak at a local wastewater treatment plant sent diesel into the brook and then the sea.

In March 2020, Southern Water discharged untreated sewage into Faversham Creek for three days after pumps at a treatment station failed. The company also failed to properly report the initial circumstances of this incident to regulators. On the same day, Swalecliffe Brook was impacted again, with sewage flowing from the Brook Road treatment plant over a grass verge and into the water.

The Environment Agency said it found an almost identical incident occurring in October 2020.

Further Incidents and Court Hearing

At a hearing in Medway Magistrates' Court in April of this year, further pollution incidents from August 2021 were detailed. Untreated sewage was discharged into the sea directly or via Swalecliffe Brook from the Brook Road wastewater pumping station. Investigators found around 70 dead fish, including eels, in the brook. Later the same month, a further sewage pollution occurred from the Diamond Road combined sewer overflow.

Lindsay Faulkner, environment manager for the Environment Agency in Kent, stated the agency's position. We have continued to press Southern Water to improve performance through 700 inspections of their sites in the past year, detailing 400 improvements they needed to take, Faulkner said. "We will not hesitate to prosecute for wrongdoing like here."

Faulkner argued the pollution and disruption could have been avoided with better management. "They didn’t have the checks in place to deal with problems," she said. Water companies must learn to identify and fix problems before the environment pays the price.

Southern Water's Response and Investment

A Southern Water spokesperson apologized for the incidents, which they said mostly occurred during extremely heavy rainfall that overwhelmed the network between 2019 and 2021. The company outlined a significant post-incident investment program.

At the Abbeyfields site, where a blown fuse caused discharges, pumps and alarm systems have been replaced. The site's resilience to power outages has been increased, and the company is now using AI to predict and prevent incidents.

The spokesperson said Swalecliffe had been historically susceptible to flooding during heavy rain. We’ve invested more than £35 million in and around Swalecliffe since April 2020 and have increased our stormwater storage capacity, they stated. The company claims a 36% reduction in storm overflows since 2023.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle reacted strongly to the case. I’m shocked but not surprised by this case, she said. For two years, Southern Water repeatedly broke the law, polluting the sea, a treasured brook and the coastline around Faversham and Whitstable.

Eagle emphasized the government's intent to overhaul the water system with tougher regulation and stronger enforcement. The Environment Agency's Lindsay Faulkner concluded by affirming the regulator's ongoing role, stating, We will continue to hold Southern Water to account.