South West Water fined almost £8m for pollution offences
South West Water has been fined almost £8 million after pleading guilty to 18 pollution charges covering sewage spills in Devon and Cornwall between 2015 and 2021.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
South West Water has been fined almost £8 million for a series of pollution offences after pleading guilty to 18 charges at Plymouth Magistrates' Court. The charges related to sewage discharges across Devon and Cornwall over a six-year period between 2015 and 2021. The guilty pleas followed an Environment Agency investigation.
The Environment Agency said the penalty was the largest fine ever handed to South West Water. The judge described the pollution as horrendous and significant. She said the offences were incredibly serious. One incident involved raw sewage gushing through the beach at Polperro over an August bank holiday weekend. Another spill lasted nearly 90 hours into a lake near Plymouth over the August bank holiday weekend in 2020. There were hundreds of spills over the period, including into the sea at holiday spots such as Harlin and Polperro.
The Environment Agency welcomed the fine after a long and complex investigation. It said the case sent a clear message that pollution will not be tolerated. It pointed to failures including alarms not being responded to, data being collected but not thought through, and delayed responses to what the data showed.
South West Water apologised after the hearing. The company said the incidents related to historic matters. It said there had been significant investment and that spills were down 17% last year. Campaigners welcomed the fine but questioned how much it would change. Surfers Against Sewage said fundamental reform of the industry was needed. It warned that without reform, customers would continue to pay the price for incompetence and greed. Campaigners noted the company made around £100 million in profit last year.
The case is the latest in which a water company has faced a multimillion-pound fine. The Environment Agency warned that things may get worse before they get better.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One | Channel 4 | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Water pleaded guilty to pollution offences in Devon and Cornwall after an Environment Agency investigation and was fined almost £8 million, with a spokesman apologising. | |||
| The offences covered a six-year period from 2015 to 2021. | |||
| The Environment Agency said the fine was the largest ever imposed on South West Water. | · | ||
| The judge described the pollution as horrendous, significant, and incredibly serious. | · | ||
| A spill lasted nearly 90 hours into a lake near Plymouth over the August bank holiday weekend in 2020. | · | · | |
| The Environment Agency warned that things may get worse before they get better. | · | · | |
| The offences involved hundreds of spills. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 gave the story a short summary treatment at the end of a bulletin. It focused on the court finding, the guilty pleas, the near £8 million fine and the company's apology, without details of the incidents, the judge's remarks or campaigner reaction.
- “A court in Plymouth has found South West Water guilty of several pollution-related offences over the last six years.”
- “The company, which entered guilty pleas after an environment agency investigation into incidents in Devon and Cornwall, has been fined almost £8 million.”
- “After the hearing, a spokesman for South West Water apologised for what had happened.”
BBC ONE West carried a fuller correspondent package from Plymouth Magistrates' Court. It led on the record scale of the fine, the judge's description of the pollution as horrendous, the six-year span and specific spills, and then gave air to the Environment Agency and campaigners, including Surfers Against Sewage.
- “Well, this is the biggest fine ever handed to South West Water, according to the Environment Agency.”
- “The judge sentencing here described the pollution as horrendous and significant, and the details really are shocking.”
- “The campaign group, Surfers Against Sewage, has said that what is needed is fundamental reform of the industry and that without it, we, the customers, will continue to pay the price for incompetence and greed.”
ITV1 led its bulletin on the record fine and put a reporter at Plymouth Magistrates' Court. It stressed the 18 charges, the judge's criticism, the Polperro incident, the company's apology and the Environment Agency warning that conditions may worsen before improving. It placed the case in the context of other large fines for water companies.
- “South West Water admitted 18 charges relating to sewage discharges across several years.”
- “The company ordered to pay more than £7.8 million for allowing, in the judges' words, what were a series of horrendous sewage spills in waterways across Devon and Cornwall.”
- “The Environment Agency, meanwhile, say this is the largest fine ever given out to South West Water and they warn that things may get worse before they get better.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:19 BST
“the Environment Agency has welcomed today's fine after a long and complex investigation.”
BBC News at One including... · Tue 29 Sept - 13:20 BST
- 13:20 BST
Surfers Against Sewage, campaign group
“The campaign group, Surfers Against Sewage,”
BBC News at One including... · Tue 29 Sept
- 12:07 BST
South West Water, company
“After the hearing, a spokesman for South West Water”
Channel 4 News Summary · Tue 29 Sept
- 13:43 BST
South West Water, water company
“In a statement, they said these were historic offences”
ITV Lunchtime News · Tue 29 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.