Govt launches investigation into water companies over sewage treatment works

The Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat have launched an investigation into sewage treatment works, after new checks led to water companies admitting that they could be releasing unpermitted sewage discharges into rivers and watercourses.

This investigation will involve more than 2000 sewage treatment works, with any company caught breaching their legal permits facing enforcement action, including fines or prosecutions. Fines can be up to 10% of annual turnover for civil cases, or unlimited in criminal proceedings.

In recent years the EA and Ofwat have been pushing water companies to improve their day-to-day performance and meet progressively higher standards to protect the environment.

As part of this, the EA has been checking that water companies comply with requirements and has asked them to fit new monitors at sewage treatment works.

Following this action by the EA, several water companies have now revealed that many of their sewage treatment works may not be compliant. This would mean that water companies are in breach of their permits and failing to meet their legal duties.

EA and Ofwat are now looking into all water and sewerage companies to assess the scale of the problem.

Any company caught breaching these minimum standards will face a range of possible enforcement action – up to and including prosecution.

The Government has been repeatedly clear that the amount of sewage discharged into our waters by water companies is unacceptable, and has taken direct action to accelerate progress in tackling it.

Through the Environment Act, it has introduced new duties to legally require water companies to make progressive reductions in the adverse impacts of storm overflows.

Any water companies not abiding by their permits are also expected to take immediate action to urgently address any non-compliance while these investigations are ongoing.

Reacting to the EA’s and Ofwat’s investigation into sewage treatment works, Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Philip Dunne MP, said

“Our waterways are the arteries of nature, far too many of which are being damaged by unacceptable sewage spills. I welcome the EA’s and Ofwat’s new investigation, frankly long overdue, seeking to understand better the true scale of the problem of water companies spilling untreated sewage. It is clear that with decades of under-investment in our sewerage network there are no quick fixes, but it is welcome that the Government, through the Environment Act passed into law last week, is already taking action to get a grip on this unacceptable activity.

“My Committee has been examining, in depth, the current regulatory structures around permitted discharges. We will be reporting our conclusions on the adequacy of the existing system when we issue the report of our inquiry into Water Quality in Rivers.”