Water utility company Southern Water has been fined £90million for illegally dumping sewage into the Solent and other locations in the South.
Southern Water pleaded guilty to a total of 51 breaches of environmental law at Canterbury Crown Court last week.
The offences relate to 16 different wastewater treatment plants and a storm overflow in the Solent region, in Sussex and in Kent. In total, 6,971 illegal discharges were carried out over a 5-year period between 2010-2015 which equated to 61,704 hours.
The discharges are said to have caused major environmental damage including to shellfish beds, which in turn affected local business.
Customers won’t have to pick up the bill for this massive fine though as the money will be paid out of the company’s profits.
In giving his sentence, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson said:
“Each of the 51 offences seen in isolation shows a shocking and wholesale disregard for the environment, for the precious and delicate ecosystems along the North Kent and Solent coastlines, for human health, and for the fisheries and other legitimate businesses that depend on the vitality of the coastal waters.
“Each offence does not stand in isolation. It is necessary to sentence the company for the totality of the offences to which it has pleaded guilty. But even that does not reflect the defendant’s criminality. That is because the offences are aggravated by its previous persistent pollution of the environment over very many years.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Emma Howard-Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, has said:
“With nature in crisis, no one should profit from undermining environmental laws. This sentence shows fines for environmental offences are starting to reach the same level as the highest fines for crimes in financial services and that is good. There is growing scrutiny of the environmental performance of companies all over the world, this sends an important message to global investors that England expects businesses to perform to the highest standards.
“Like all water companies, Southern Water has a responsibility to operate in accordance with permit conditions and protect against serious pollution. In its deliberate, widespread and repeated offending, it has failed the environment, customers and the system of environmental laws the public puts its trust in. Polluters must pay, the Environment Agency will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.”
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
“The findings in this case were shocking and wholly unacceptable. Water companies should not be letting this happen and those that do will be punished by the full force of the law.
“This fine, the largest ever imposed on a water company, is absolutely appropriate and welcomed. It will rightly be paid solely from the company’s operating profits, rather than customer bills.
“I have spoken directly to the industry about taking their environmental responsibilities seriously, protecting rivers, lakes, streams and the wildlife that rely on them. Some companies are making welcome strides, but we still need to see significant improvements from others.”
Southern Water haven’t , we the customers have. Why haven’t the managers been held to account? Oh yes I forgot…..
Southern Water haven’t been fined a penny, WE HAVE! Do our judges actually think that the shareholders will be smashing the kiddies Piggy Banks to raise the money? So whilst our families wade in effluent, the shareholders, Directors and Managers will continue to Holiday somewhere with clean water. Justice eh?
The point about fines is that they are supposed to be punitive ie a punishment. SW were long go expecting to get fined and have merely set aside this amount from their profit, and written their accounts down, so in the end there is actually no true punishment, just a reduction in profit. The managers and directors that permitted these actions should be taken to task and personally fined as they were well aware they were in breach of the applicable laws and bylaws.
Not to forget that around two years ago this company was fined £123m for the same offence, with £91m being fines avoided from the breaches had they been reported correctly, and the rest being a penalty. SW knows it has a problem, but not how to fix it. Upper management is a revolving door. They come, they see, they leave. A good case for being nationalised, it has a long way to go.