2nd Nov 2015 13:33
LONDON (Alliance News) - South West Water, the UK water company owned by Pennon Group PLC, was fined GBP214,000 on Monday for breaching environmental controls at its Camel Head sewerage treatment works in Plymouth and for failing to stop sewage leaking into the River Tamar.
The judge presiding over the case and who implemented the fine, said South West Water had been "tiptoeing through a minefield of operational problems" at the treatment works site and had concerns over the lack of urgency showed by the company to address the problems.
The Environment Agency said it is the highest fine it has ever handed out to South West Water, which serves around 1.7 million UK residents across Devon, Cornwall and certain parts of Dorset and Somerset.
The treatment plant in question serves 40,000 of those residents and discharges water into the Tamar Estuary near the Devonport naval dockyard. The fine was handed down because South West Water "failed to operate and maintain" the treatment works site in accordance with "good operational practice" which did not minimise the risk of pollution between March and September 2013.
The court also heard that a sample taken from the treatment works on June 12, 2013, "breached the limits for biochemical oxygen demand" and urban water treatment regulations, the Environmental Agency said.
"The court took into consideration 3 further permit breaches in 2015 and previous convictions in 2012 and 2013 relating to this site," the agency added. "South West Water admitted breaching the permit conditions."
The judge presiding over the case said South West Water were "tiptoeing through a minefield of operational problems at this site and a pollution event beyond failure of minimum discharge standards was not only a risk but likely", and that there was a "complete failure to anticipate and take measures to counter some of the problems."
"It is clear that water from this site did on a number of occasions contain polluted material that was easily in excess of the minimum standards for discharge and the fact that happened on an assortment of occasions and over a period of time should have prompted greater efforts by South West Water to reduce that significant risk," he added.
The judge also cited concern over the "lack of urgency in addressing the assorted problems".
On top of the fine, South West Water will also pay a further GBP27,750 in costs related to the court case.
Mike Ingham from the Environment Agency said: "Compliance at South West Water sewage works is generally good. But in this case South West Water failed to operate the site in a way that minimised the risk to the environment. As a result, the site breached its permit on a number of occasions and risked serious pollution of the River Tamar."
"It is encouraging that South West Water has now set about extensive improvements on the site which are due to be completed next summer. These will help secure compliance for the future," he added.
Pennon shares were trading up 1.0% to 819.0 pence per share on Monday afternoon.
By Joshua Warner; [email protected]; @JoshAlliance
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