SOUTHERN Water has been revealed as one of four water companies responsible for 92 per cent of serious pollution incidents in the UK this year, according to new figures.
Information obtained by law firm, Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests to the Environment Agency shows Southern Water has recorded 51 serious incidents in the past five years and the third highest figures this year alone.
It comes as Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water face £168m worth of fines by Ofwat over historic sewage spills.
The industry regulator made the announcement on Wednesday, July, 31, amid growing public fury over the environmental and financial performance of some water companies.
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The proposal will go to public consultation and is part of Ofwat’s largest ever investigation into water company performance.
The Environment Agency categorises water pollution incidents as serious if they fall into their two highest categories: major (category 1) or significant (category 2).
Serious incidents can include events that, for example, cause fish to die, potentially harm bathers or force a drinking water provider to temporarily stop abstracting water from a river.
Despite high figures, the figures show Southern Water has recorded some of the most improved figures with serious pollution incidents down 50 per cent in 2024 compared to the year before.
The company’s worst year for serious pollution was in 2023 where it logged 16 incidents. The lowest figure was recorded in 2020 with a total of four serious incidents.
Elsewhere in the UK, Thames Water reported the most serious incident this year with a total of 20, up from 16 in 2023. Yorkshire Water declared 11, up from six the previous year.
A further six incidents were logged by Anglian Water, down from 11 in 2023.
The data also shows the leading causes and pollutants contributing to ‘serious water pollution incidents’ in England and Wales over the past five years.
Between 2019-2024, ‘Containment and Control’ was the leading cause, accounting for 83 per cent of all reported ‘serious incidents’ in the last five years.
This could include pipeline failures meaning hazardous materials transported through pipelines are released into the environment. Some 250 incidents have been recorded since 2019.
In 79 per cent of these cases, crude sewage was the pollutant - which is raw sewage that has not been treated.
The second most common cause of serious water pollution incidents was ‘Sewer Failure or Overflow.’ Some 113 incidents have been recorded since 2019, accounting for 37 per cent.
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A further 47 serious incidents have been caused by ‘pipe failure below ground’ and 'control measure failure’ was to blame for 22 incidents.
It is possible to claim compensation if water pollution has caused financial loss or illness.
LegalExpert.co.uk said it has a team of experts at hand for anyone who has concerns about their water.
They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.
John Penicud, director for Wastewater Operations at Southern Water, said: “We are pleased that despite the wettest Winter on record we’ve reduced pollutions by 35 per cent and we’ve been given a two-star EPA rating accordingly. Despite our Turnaround Plan demonstrating strong progress, the number of serious pollutions is unacceptable, and we accept that there is a lot more to do as we urgently work to achieve a three-star rating.
“To help us on this journey we are continuing to make improvements and innovations. One example is the introduction of 22,000 radar devices in manholes across our 45,000km sewer network which will help us proactively detect issues before they become pollutions."
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