South West Water fined £2.15m for dumping sewage in sea and rivers

Judge says pollution ‘will no longer be tolerated’ after investigation found significant environmental harm

South West Water has been fined £2.15m for illegally dumping sewage into rivers and the sea in Devon and Cornwall, causing significant environmental harm.

Failures by the company between July 2016 and August 2020 led to harmful sewage discharges being dumped by treatment works at Lostwithiel, Kilmington, Crediton and Torpoint, as well as the Watergate Bay sewage pumping station.