06 Dec 2022

Money from fines handed out to water companies that pollute our rivers and seas will be re-invested in schemes that benefit our natural environment, under new government plans. Water companies were handed a record amount in fines for pollution incidents last year as part of ongoing action to hold rule-breakers to account. Since 2015, the […]

13 Jul 2021

Record £90m fine for Southern Water following EA prosecution Environment Agency ‘Southern Water sentenced to pay record £90 million in fines for widespread pollution after pleading guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges. Southern Water has today (Friday 9 July) been handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of […]

04 Jul 2019

Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay £1,179,500 after having been found by the Environment Agency to have committed several environmental offences. Published 26 June 2019   Environment Agency Northumbrian Water has agreed to pay an Enforcement Undertaking totalling £1,179,500 Five separate Enforcement Undertakings (EU) have been agreed with Northumbrian Water after the company accepted responsibility for […]

10 Dec 2018

Wessex Water has offered to pay £975,000 to achieve equivalent environmental benefits following a series of sewage spills in Swanage Bay, Dorset.  The company also offered £25,000 compensation to Swanage RNLI Lifeboat Station as an impacted third party, taking the total pay-out to £1 million. The payment follows illegal spills in 2016 and 2017 when […]

28 Nov 2018

Defra ‘The Environment Agency published its latest list of Enforcement Undertakings accepted by EA under which 15 companies and individuals that polluted rivers and streams or made other environmental breaches will pay more than £2.2 million to environmental charities and local projects. The new list included the largest Enforcement Undertaking ever accepted by EA, £975,000 from […]

13 Jun 2018

Michael Gove said: “Thames Water completely failed in their duty of care to their customers, leaving them to suffer leaks for far too long through poor management. But actions speak louder than words, and they must deliver on their commitment to provide compensation and much-needed improvements to customers. “This is exactly the kind of decisive […]

25 Apr 2018

EA Chair Emma Howard Boyd calls for courts to make fines for water pollution proportionate to companies’ turnover. The Chair of the Environment Agency has called for courts to make fines for water pollution incidents proportionate to the companies’ turnover, saying that the water companies are responsible for “at least one serious pollution incident every week.”  […]

21 Mar 2018

A few years ago the sentencing rules changed and water companies in particular have been paying out much larger sums in fines – often in excess of a millions pound. In another twist of the legal system there have been a wave of payments made to charities through a mechanism know as civil sanctions. Anglian Water has […]