Southern Water in court after polluting Kent coast with raw sewage

Firms admits pollution breaches

(PA)

Southern Water has appeared in court this week for sentencing after flooding the coast of Kent with raw sewage in a pollution case the Environment Agency (EA) said is the biggest it has seen in 25 years.

Between January 2010 and December 2015, the water company pumped human waste from 16 wastewater treatment works and one sewer overflow across the South Coast into the sea.

Seven of the 16 sites investigated by the Environment Agency are in the Swale Estuary in North Kent, and raw sewage was found as far away as the picturesque coastal areas of Whitstable and Herne Bay.

An investigation was launched after high levels of faecal matter were found in the Swale.

In March last year, Southern Water entered guilty pleas for 51 environmental offences at Maidstone Crown Court.

Representatives from the firm appeared in court on Tuesday.

The court case followed a lengthy probe by the EA, called Operation Garden, which looked at data from wastewater treatment works near the Swale.

The agency found effluent had been flooded directly into the Swale and then travelled into the sea along the North Kent coast, before making its way east.

Experts say this can sometimes happen when during periods of heavy rain, but the EA found it was happening during dry spells, and therefore decided to launch its probe.

Southern Water admitted breaching pollution laws but argues it did not do so deliberately.

In June 2019, the firm was hit with what was then a record £126m penalty for the breach.

Ian McAulay, the company’s chief executive, said at the time: “We are deeply sorry for what has happened. There are no excuses for the failings that occurred between 2010 and 2017. We are fully committed to continuing the fast pace of change delivered since 2017.”

This week's court case is focusing on Southern Water breaching the terms of its permits and the damage it caused to the environment. It could be hit with another record fine.