The UK based sewage treatment company Southern Water has been fined £126 million by the British government’s Water Services Regulation Authority. The watchdog group alleged that from 2010 to 2017, Southern Water neglected to invest in their own treatment plants, resulting in equipment failure and environmental contamination by sewage. It then proceeded to lie about the status of its treatment plants to the authority, dodging £91 million in potential penalties (which are included in the present fine). The fine will be paid as a refund to Southern Water customers.

Key Takeaways:

• Sewage was spilling from Southern water pipes into the environment and equipment has been failing there too due to a lack of investment in the company.
• Ofwat said that the firm has been underreporting its sewage treatment plants performance for years and therefore has avoided its fines due to that.
• The fine that Ofwat issued to Southern Waters is the heaviest in the industry so far when compared to the business size.

“A watchdog has slapped Southern Water with a £126m fine after “serious failures” in how the company operated sewage treatment sites over a seven-year period.”

Read more: https://www.cityam.com/southern-water-hit-with-126m-fine-for-shocking-sewage-failures/