Water and sewerage companies in England: environmental performance report for 2019

If you think the UK’s water companies can be trusted to manage greenbelt and protect chalk streams and drinking water aquifers from pollution, then read this report from the Environment Agency published last year on pollution incidents from water companies (Anglian Water and Thames Water were responsible for over 50% of such incidents).

Then read how Southern Water have just been fined £90 million for years of deliberately disposing of billions of litres of raw untreated sewage into the sea off the North Kent and Hampshire coastlines, to avoid paying costs of upgrading infrastructure.

He said the company had a history of criminal activity for its “previous and persistent pollution of the environment”. It had 168 previous offences and cautions but had ignored these and not altered its behaviour. “There is no evidence the company took any notice of the penalties imposed or the remarks of the courts. Its offending simply continued,” he said.

Finally why not look at DEFRA’s Magic Maps website that shows the risk of groundwater contamination below where Anglian Water are intending to relocate the Sewage Works.

HoneyHill MagicMapsGroundwaterVunerability

Worried?