Southern Water will come under pressure to publish the full findings of its investigation into ‘failures’ at its Springhill pumping station after Isle of Wight councillors backed calls for greater transparency over sewage discharges into the Medina.
County Hall passed a motion from Cowes North Labour councillor Jock Rafferty last week (Wednesday), following concerns over pollution affecting waters at Cowes, East Cowes and Gurnard in May.
Cllr Rafferty said:
“This motion is a practical request for transparency and accountability.
“Our coastal waters matter to public health, our environment, our economy and the Island’s reputation.”
The Isle of Wight Council will now write to Southern Water chief executive Lawrence Gosden seeking publication of the full findings of the company’s investigation into the Springhill pumping station failures.
It will also seek confirmation of specific investment commitments, costs and delivery timescales for improvements at Springhill and across the wider Medina catchment, as well as independent water quality monitoring at Cowes, East Cowes and Gurnard throughout the bathing season.
Councillors also agreed to write to the Environment Agency seeking an update on its investigation into the May 2026 discharges and asking for its findings to be published in full once completed.
Ofwat will be contacted over the events, while Mr Gosden – or another senior Southern Water executive responsible for wastewater operations – will be invited to attend a council meeting to provide updates and answer questions.
Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox, leader of the Island First Network, said:
“I absolutely admire the amount of work that Councillor Rafferty has put into this, and as a Cowes Medina councillor, I’m fully supportive of everything he’s trying to achieve.”
An amendment from Conservative leader Cllr Ed Blake was also accepted, meaning Southern Water will be asked to provide a report to the council’s environment committee on water quality in the Island’s designated bathing waters.
East Cowes independent councillor Karl Love said:
“East Cowes has particularly been affected, as has the whole of the Medina valley, by significant sewage leaks.
“We need to remember this is not just about water quality – it’s actually about the fact that we’ve got water shortages.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Michael Lilley also highlighted concerns elsewhere on the Isle of Wight, pointing to a pumping station in his Ryde, Appley and Elmfield ward.
He said there had been about “1,300” discharges this year, compared with 1,000 across the whole of last year and 20 in 2019.
Southern Water previously said it takes concerns about its Isle of Wight performance “very seriously”.
A spokesperson said:
“Our CEO Lawrence Gosden met with councillors this summer, and last week senior staff were on the Island to meet customers at a public roadshow.
“We’re investing more than £67 million to improve our environmental performance, including accelerated work to cut storm overflow releases at eight locations, including Gurnard and West Cowes.
“We’re also upgrading infrastructure, trialling new technology and working with partners to reduce the amount of rainwater entering sewers to help protect bathing waters”.
