Key facts
- Southern Water was fined over £7 million for illegally dumping sewage.
- The offenses occurred between 2019 and 2021 at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations.
- The company pleaded guilty to 13 offenses, including failure to notify authorities.
- A conviction was also for failing to have a standby pump at Margate's station.
- The judge noted Southern Water's extensive history of non-compliance and previous convictions.
Southern Water has been fined over £7 million for illegally dumping sewage off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021. The company pleaded guilty to 13 offenses at Medway magistrates court in April, relating to untreated sewage discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations.
Nine counts concerned the illegal dumping of untreated sewage, while three counts were for failing to notify authorities of the discharges within the required 24-hour period. An additional conviction was for failing to maintain a standby pump at Margate's station between July 2019 and October 2020.
Sentencing at Canterbury crown court resulted in a total fine of £7,127,083 imposed by Mr Justice Johnson. The judge described Southern Water's "record of criminality" as an "exceptionally serious aggravating factor," noting "overall serious failures" and a "pattern of repeated incidents over several years."
The court heard that the harm caused included serious environmental degradation, significant interference with public amenity, potential risk to public health, and damage to the reputation of coastal communities. The judge highlighted Southern Water's extensive history of non-compliance, inadequate training, insufficient investment, and failure to maintain equipment, citing 174 previous convictions.
Specific incidents detailed included an intermittent sewage flow at Margate on July 20, 2019, with the Environment Agency notified over 32 hours later. At Broadstairs on February 16, 2021, untreated sewage was discharged due to a computer fault, and authorities were notified at the end of the discharge. Further incidents in June 2021 led to 11 bathing waters being closed for a week.
A Southern Water spokesperson apologized, stating that such pollution incidents are unacceptable and that significant changes have been made under a new leadership team. The Environment Agency's Lindsay Faulkner emphasized that the preventable incidents harmed the environment and local communities, demanding greater oversight from the company.