Southern Water has pleaded guilty to a series of pollution incidents across north Kent between 2019 and 2021, affecting both the sea and inland waterways, the Environment Agency has confirmed.
In July 2019, people in Whitstable reported seeing and smelling oil in Swalecliffe Brook. Environment Agency officers traced the source to diesel leaking from a failed generator at Southern Water’s local wastewater treatment plant. The diesel travelled into the brook and then the sea, prompting warnings for the public and pets to stay out of the water.
In March 2020, untreated sewage was released into Faversham Creek over three days after pumps failed at a separate wastewater station. On the same day, Swalecliffe Brook was again hit, this time with sewage flowing under the main gates of the treatment plant, across a grass verge and into the brook – and then the sea. A near-identical incident occurred in October 2020.
Further pollution followed in August 2021, with untreated sewage pouring into Swalecliffe Brook, killing around 70 fish including eels. The effluent again reached the sea, significantly degrading water quality. Canterbury City Council posted warnings against swimming at Tankerton and Herne Bay for nearly a week.
The incidents took place just weeks after Southern Water was handed a record £90 million fine for nearly 7,000 illegal sewage discharges off the south coast.
The Environment Agency brought five charges under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Southern Water pleaded guilty to all of them at Medway Magistrates’ Court on 7th April. A sentencing date has yet to be confirmed.
Dawn Theaker, the Environment Agency’s water industry regulation manager in the South East, said: ‘All of these pollution incidents could have been avoided if Southern Water had managed operations more carefully, and had in place the necessary checks to deal with problems when they occurred.
‘It’s a familiar pattern with water companies. Always catching up with events.
‘The Environment Agency will keep Southern Water in its sights with more inspections, even tougher regulation and prosecution in the most serious cases.’