SOUTHERN WATER FINED £2.4M FOR KENT SEWAGE POLLUTION

Southern Water has been fined £2.4 million at Bromley Magistrates' Court over sewage pollution in Kent, the Environment Agency has said. District Judge Stephen Leake heard that the company released untreated sewage, diesel and waste matter into the sea and into Swalecliffe Brook between 2019 and 2021. The pollution affected areas near Whitstable and Faversham. It is the second prosecution the agency has brought against Southern Water this year. In July, the company was fined more than £7 million over discharges that closed beaches in Thanet.

In July 2019, people reported smelling diesel in Swalecliffe Brook. A generator leaked at a Southern Water treatment plant, sending diesel into the brook and then the sea. The public were warned to keep themselves and pets out of the water. In March 2020, the company released untreated sewage into Faversham Creek over three days after pumps failed, and did not report the incident to the Environment Agency. In August 2021, investigators found around 70 dead fish, including eels, after a further sewage spill, and Canterbury City Council warned against swimming at Herne Bay and Tankerton for nearly a week.

Lindsay Faulkner, the Environment Agency's environment manager for Kent, said the pollution could have been avoided had Southern Water managed its operations better. She said the company lacked the checks needed to deal with problems. Faulkner said water companies must learn to fix problems before the environment pays the price, and that the agency would continue to hold Southern Water to account. The Environment Agency said it had carried out 700 inspections of Southern Water's sites in the past year, identifying 400 required improvements. Further cases against the company remain before the courts.