Southern Water has been fined more than £7m after illegally dumping untreated sewage off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021. The company pleaded guilty to 13 offences at Medway Magistrates' Court in April 2023, relating to discharges at Margate and Broadstairs wastewater pumping stations.
Details of the Offences
Nine counts involved incidents of untreated sewage being dumped into the sea, while three counts were for failing to notify authorities of the discharges promptly—a condition of the environmental permit. A final conviction was for failing to have a standby pump at Margate's station between 27 July 2019 and 4 October 2020, also in breach of the permit.
The sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court took place on 27 and 28 February 2025, with Mr Justice Johnson imposing a total fine of £7,127,083. The judge described Southern Water as having a “record of criminality” which is “an exceptionally serious aggravating factor.”
Impact on Environment and Community
The court heard that the harm “was not confined to a single event, but arose from a pattern of repeated incidents over several years,” causing “serious degradation of environmental quality, significant interference with public amenity, potential risk to public health and damage to the reputation of an important coastal community.”
One incident on 20 July 2019 at the Margate site saw an intermittent flow of sewage from about 2am to just before midnight. The Environment Agency was not notified until more than 32 hours after the first discharge. Another incident on 16 February 2021 at Broadstairs involved untreated sewage dumped into the sea due to a computer control fault, lasting nearly five hours, with authorities notified only at the end of the discharge. Prosecutor Andrew Marshall said the sewage was “unscreened,” meaning solid waste remained, and debris washed up on the coast. Warnings were posted on the beach from 17 to 19 February while cleaners swept the area.
Between 16 and 17 June 2021, sewage pollution at both stations led to 11 bathing waters being closed by Thanet Council for a week in a “high-profile pollution incident.” Court pictures showed waste in the water, closure notices, and an empty beach with a red flag.
Company's History and Response
The judge noted that Southern Water is a very large organisation with annual revenue between £800m and £1bn over the last three years, and has 174 previous convictions occurring every year from 1999 to 2016 and as recently as April 2024. He stated: “The defendant’s record of convictions shows a protracted history of noncompliance with its legal obligations, and a repeated pattern of inadequate staff training, insufficient investment in the infrastructure and a failure properly to maintain equipment. It also shows a failure to respond to warnings from the courts.”
A Southern Water spokesperson said the company was “deeply sorry,” adding: “Pollution incidents like these are unacceptable, and we fully recognise the impact they can have on the environment and the communities we serve. These events took place more than five years ago – since then we’ve made significant changes. Under a new leadership team, backed by new shareholders, we’ve radically addressed our culture, governance and operations.”
Lindsay Faulkner, environment manager for the Environment Agency in Kent, said: “Southern Water allowed this repeated pollution to happen. Stronger oversight by the company is needed, and plain to see from their track record. These preventable incidents harmed the environment and local communities, but like so much pollution caused by water companies, they were avoidable and should never have happened. The Environment Agency demands much more from Southern Water. Our inspections of sewage treatment sites, including pumping stations at fault in this case, will continue. We are holding them to account.”
