Water firm agrees to pay multi-million pound penalty for wastewater failures

South West Water has agreed to wage a £24m punishment for wastewater spillages, the h2o regulator said.

The company, serving 1.8 cardinal customers successful the South West portion of England, failed to conscionable its ineligible obligations successful managing the wastewater attraction works and network, Ofwat said.

South West Water did not person capable absorption systems to guarantee those ineligible obligations were met, including capable oversight from its elder absorption squad and committee of directors, the regulator added.

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As a effect of the failures, the institution spilt wastewater erstwhile it should not have.

Some customers of the institution were taxable to a boil h2o announcement successful May past year, which remained successful spot for 8 weeks, with astir 17,000 households told to boil their h2o earlier drinking.

The inferior was said to beryllium the worst offender for sewage discharge into shellfish waters, liable for 13,000 sewage discharges, totalling 98,000 hours.

Where's the wealth going?

But alternatively than being fined, the £24m is simply a penalty, with the sum going towards concern successful the h2o system.

Investment of £20m volition people sewage and wastewater flows successful "environmentally delicate areas" oregon wrong focused assemblage areas, Ofwat said.

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A further £2m volition found a section money to tackle sewer misuse and misconnections, which tin lend to pollution, and the last £2m volition spell towards a quality betterment money for the area.

If the outgo had not been agreed, a punishment would person been applied, and the wealth would person gone to the Treasury. 

The £24m concern bundle secured is larger than the punishment would person been, Ofwat said. It would person been £19m, 6.5% of South West Water's yearly turnover, the watchdog added.

A consultation is present unfastened to the nationalist to connection comments connected Ofwat's determination earlier it is finalised.

South West Water's genitor company, Pennon, said: "These investments volition supply improvements for some customers and the situation alongside our K8 plans to tackle each tempest overflows astatine our bathing and shellfish waters and our highest spilling sites."