Statement on sewage investigation financial penalties
CCW has today welcomed Ofwat’s move to fine three water and sewerage companies a total of £168 million, as part of its wider investigation into the management of wastewater treatment works.
The regulator will consult on its proposals to fine Thames Water £104m, Yorkshire Water £47m and Northumbrian Water £17m.
The penalties relate to the companies’ management of wastewater treatment works and wider sewer networks including their operation of storm overflows. These are designed to release water in exceptional circumstances, when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed, such as during unusually heavy downpours or snowfall, to prevent sewage flooding into people’s homes.
Customers of these three water and sewerage companies will be extremely angry at these failures and upset at the harm this will have caused to the environment. No amount of financial penalties can repair the damage this will have done to customers’ trust in the water industry, which is already at an all-time low. People have made clear they want to see companies taking better care of the environment – especially when customers are being asked to pay considerably more for water and sewerage services in the future.