Southern Water has been fined more than £7 million for illegally dumping untreated sewage off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021. The company pleaded guilty to 13 offences at Medway Magistrates' Court in April 2023, relating to discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations.
Details of the Offences
The offences included nine counts of discharging untreated sewage into the sea, three counts of failing to notify authorities within the required 24-hour period, and one count of failing to maintain a standby pump at the Margate station between July 2019 and October 2020. The sentencing took place at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday and Friday, with Mr Justice Johnson imposing a total fine of £7,127,083.
Judge Johnson described Southern Water as having a "record of criminality" that was "an exceptionally serious aggravating factor." He noted that the company had 174 previous convictions, occurring every year from 1999 to 2016 and as recently as April 2023. "The defendant knew the importance of maintaining resilience systems and equipment at these sites," he said, adding that the harm was not confined to a single event but arose from a pattern of repeated incidents over several years.
Environmental and Public Health Impact
The judge stated that the offending caused "serious degradation of environmental quality, significant interference with public amenity, potential risk to public health, and damage to the reputation of an important coastal community." In one incident on 20 July 2019, an intermittent flow of sewage at the Margate site lasted from about 2am to nearly midnight, but the Environment Agency was not notified until more than 32 hours after the first discharge. On 16 February 2021 at the Broadstairs station, untreated sewage was dumped into the sea for nearly five hours due to a computer control fault, with solid waste remaining in the sewage. Warnings were posted on the beach, and cleaners swept for waste.
Another incident on 16-17 June 2021 led to 11 bathing waters being closed for a week by Thanet Council in a "high-profile pollution incident." Pictures showed waste in the water, closure notices, and an empty beach with a red flag.
Company Response and Regulatory Actions
A Southern Water spokesperson said the company was "deeply sorry" and acknowledged that pollution incidents like these are unacceptable. The spokesperson noted that the events took place more than five years ago and that significant changes have been made under new leadership and shareholders. Lindsay Faulkner, the Environment Agency's environment manager for Kent, stated: "Southern Water allowed this repeated pollution to happen. Stronger oversight by the company is needed, and plain to see from their track record." The agency continues to inspect sewage treatment sites and hold the company accountable.
