South West Water facing four criminal investigations

The Government has announced that four criminal investigations will be launched into South West Water.

The action follows the introduction of new powers that could see water company executives jailed for up to five years and firms fined hundreds of millions of pounds.

It forms part of what the Government is calling the largest increase in criminal action against water companies in history. A record 81 criminal investigations have been launched in England since the election in July 2024, including four relating specifically to South West Water.

The action follows the introduction of the Water (Special Measures) Act by Labour, aimed at cleaning up Britain’s rivers and seas and ending the payment of bonuses to water company executives.

Labour MPs say the investigations into South West Water represent a major step forward in addressing hundreds of local complaints about sewage pollution on Cornish beaches.

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: “These criminal investigations show how committed local MPs are to using robust legislation and parliamentary action to tackle the root causes behind reports of sewage pollution - one of the biggest priority issues for constituents across Cornwall.

“While our opponents are ‘busying themselves’ making hollow gestures, empty promises and unfunded pledges, this government is delivering real action to address 14 years of Conservative failure - resulting in record levels of illegal sewage dumping in our rivers, lakes and seas.”

South West Water has outlined a storm overflow infrastructure upgrade programme costing over £700 million, which it says aims to reduce pollution by 62%.

Mr Law added: “Cornwall’s Labour MPs welcome all the progress made so far on tackling sewage pollution – but this is just the first step in a long-term plan to clean up our seas and rivers once and for all – whatever it takes.”

A spokesperson for South West Water said on Thursday: “Whilst we are unable to comment on live cases, we take any situations like this very seriously and we will continue to work with authorities on its investigations.”

In its statement to Radio Newquay, the company said:
“We are one of only five companies in the industry to reduce spills compared to 2023. Our focus has been to reduce spills at beaches in the bathing season by 20% in the last five years as we continue to focus on what our customers care about. We have also been focused on the highest spilling sites from 2023 and have already removed ¾ of the top 20 sites.

This is part of our 15-year investment plan – and while change on this scale takes time, we are already seeing positive results.

We’re also proud to be an industry leader on data and transparency. We measure more spills, more often and therefore have highly accurate data.

This progress has been made despite 2023/24 being the wettest hydrological year on record, with exceptional rainfall and groundwater. Against this challenging backdrop, the reduction in spills shows our plan is working – this is not an excuse but is important context.

There is more to do and we are moving in the right direction driven by our determination to deliver on our customers' priorities.”