A group legal claim against South West Water over sewage pollution in coastal waters has been expanded to include thousands more people across Devon and Cornwall, the law firm Leigh Day has announced.
The claim, originally filed on behalf of 1,400 residents and businesses from Exmouth, now covers Dawlish, Sidmouth, Teignmouth in Devon and Newquay and Penzance in Cornwall. It argues that the water company's failings are widespread and entrenched across the region.
Tina Naldrett, a 62-year-old nurse from Dawlish, joined the claim after witnessing worsening pollution at her local beach. “When the sea is clear, and you can see your feet, the sun is on your back and you hear the gulls, it is free magic,” she said. “But more often I take friends into the water and we see sanitary products floating past, the plastic from tampons, actual effluent and the foam from effluent. It is getting worse.”
In 2024, South West Water discharged 544,429 hours of raw sewage into seas and coastal waters, including an overflow at Salcombe Regis that discharged for almost the entire year—the longest duration across England and Wales. In July 2024, Ofwat issued a £24m enforcement penalty against the company for systemic failings dating back to at least 2017.
Oliver Holland, the lawyer leading the claim, said the expansion was an important step. “South West Water has a track record of very poor environmental performance, and my clients allege this has badly impacted their lives and livelihoods,” he said. A South West Water spokesperson said the company cared deeply about bathing water quality but could not comment further at this stage.
