United Utilities has been fined almost £1m after raw sewage was discharged into the Irish Sea for more than 35 hours during a major pollution incident on the Lancashire coast. United Utilities Water Limited was ordered to pay £964,225 in fines and costs at Preston Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday September 8 after pleading guilty to five environmental permit offences.
Incident details and impact
The offences relate to a serious incident between June 11 and June 22, 2023, when sewage was discharged from three coastal pumping stations along the Fylde Coast. Sewage was reported on beaches and at marine recreational facilities, including Fleetwood baths.
The company's own modelling showed that a sewage plume reached seven bathing waters, significantly affecting bathing water quality in the hours after the spills. The Environment Agency subsequently issued 'no bathing' advice at all eight designated bathing waters along the affected coastline.
Sampling carried out during the incident by a trained citizen scientist was also indicative of the presence of E. coli, while three shellfish beds were temporarily closed by the Food Standards Agency over public health concerns.
Cause of the sewage spills
An Environment Agency investigation found the incident began after a final effluent pipe at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment Works partially collapsed. The damage reduced the amount of sewage the treatment works could receive, causing sewage to back up through the wider network.
Following periods of rainfall, sewage was then discharged from pumping stations at Manchester Square, Anchorsholme and Chatsworth Avenue. However, the Environment Agency found the discharges did not meet the strict conditions set out in United Utilities' environmental permits.
Further investigation of flow and spill data supplied by the company found the permit conditions had not been met when the spills occurred. United Utilities admitted the breaches when interviewed under caution and pleaded guilty to five offences during a court hearing on April 22, 2026.
Environment Agency response
Andy Brown, Water Regulation Manager at the Environment Agency, described the incident as "unacceptable". He said it had "far-reaching consequences" for residents and businesses along the Fylde Coast. The Environment Agency said the record fine reflected the seriousness of the offences and the harm caused.
Mr Brown added that water companies had a "fundamental responsibility" to properly manage their assets and comply with environmental permits designed to protect rivers, seas and communities.
United Utilities' response
In the aftermath of the incident, United Utilities constructed a two-kilometre temporary bypass around the damaged pipe. It also installed additional pumping equipment and used tankers to transport wastewater to other treatment works.
The damaged pipe was subsequently repaired and the Fleetwood site returned to full service. The company has put the cost of responding to and repairing the original incident at around £38m. It has since carried out further work aimed at improving the resilience of the wastewater network along the Fylde Coast.
United Utilities also made a voluntary payment of £250,000 to Blackpool Council. The payment followed the use of images of Blackpool Tower alongside media reports about the pollution incident. The council had been running a major tourism advertising campaign at the time and said the incident significantly harmed the area's image.
