Water company fined £7.1 million for illegal sewage pollution
Tuesday 18th August 2026
A water company has been fined £7.1 million following several major pollution incidents between 2019 and 2021. The incidents led to repeated discharges of untreated sewage, some during the height of summer, and forced the closure of beaches and harmed coastal communities.
The incidents highlighted a pattern of the company failing to maintain critical pumping equipment, and delayed reporting to regulators allowing untreated sewage to pollute waters. Failures to report incidents in a timely manner meant councils were unable to warn the public.
The company’s conviction record (174 previous convictions including a £90 million fine five years ago) showed a history of non-compliance with legal obligations and a repeated pattern of inadequate systems.
The company was fined £7,127,083 and ordered to pay the Environment Agency’s costs of £149,000 and a victim surcharge of £181.
For the latest safety and compliance updates, visit our hub here