South West Water (SWW) has pleaded guilty to a catalogue of pollution-related charges spanning six years across Devon and Cornwall – including a number of locations in Plymouth.
The prosecution, brought by the Environment Agency, concluded at Plymouth Magistrates Court in March with sentencing expected on June 4.
Of the charges, 17 are for illegal discharge activities including sewage discharges and one is for failing to take reasonable remedial measures following failure at a sewage pumping station.
The offences took place between January 2015 and July 2021 in five locations: Bodmin, Harlyn, Playing Place, Polperro and Plymouth. Three of the offences that took place occurred across an August Bank Holiday weekend.
At Hooe Lake Sewage Pumping station an incident in 2020 led to a sewage discharge which started on August 28 and continued for 88 hours until September 1. Hooe Lake is a priority habitat, designated for its mudflats, open waters and plant species, and is also used for watersports.
The company pleaded guilty to one count of discharging poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, namely untreated sewage, otherwise than inaccordance with a permit and a second count of failing to take “all reasonable remedial measures to return the pumping station to normal operation” … “as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of warning of failure or of breakdown of the pumping station.”
South West Water also admitted discharging poisonous, noxious or polluting matter at Budshead Creek between August 27 and 29 2020 and a similar offence on September 6 2020.
Clarissa Newell, Environment Agency environment manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: “Getting to this point and securing these guilty pleas was only possible thanks to years of thorough investigation and hard work by Environment Agency officers. They are committed to protecting Devon and Cornwall’s greatest assets – the beaches, waters and associated habitats.
“Polluters must pay and the Environment Agency continues to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.”
South West Water was previously prosecuted in 2023 for 13 environmental offences across Devon and Cornwall between July 2016 and August 2020, and was fined £2.15m.
