South West Water pleads guilty to 18 pollution charges across Devon and Cornwall

At a time when domestic water bills are at an all-time high, water supplier South West Water has pleaded guilty to 18 pollution-related offences spanning six years across Devon and Cornwall.

The prosecution, brought by the Environment Agency, concluded at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court this week. The company is due to be sentenced on 4 June 2026.

Seventeen of the charges relate to illegal discharge activities – including sewage releases – while one relates to failing to take reasonable remedial measures after a breakdown at a sewage pumping station.

The offences occurred between January 2015 and July 2021 at five locations: Bodmin, Harlyn, Playing Place, Polperro and Plymouth.

Three of the incidents occurred during an August Bank Holiday weekend.

Several of the charges relate to repeated discharges from Nanstallon Sewage Treatment Works near Bodmin.

Investigators found that in the seven years to March 2020 there were 336 illegal spills, with sewage entering the River Camel.

The River Camel is designated as a Special Area of Conservation, supporting species including Atlantic salmon, bullhead fish and otters.

Another series of offences involved the Harlyn Sewage Pumping Station in north Cornwall.

Between January 2016 and July 2021 untreated sewage was discharged on 231 occasions onto Harlyn Bay, a popular beach with both local residents and tourists.

In Plymouth, an incident at Hooe Lake Sewage Pumping Station in Plymstock resulted in a sewage discharge that began on 28 August 2020 and continued for 88 hours, ending on 1 September.

Hooe Lake is recognised as a priority habitat for its mudflats, open water and plant species, and is also used for watersports.

Additional charges relate to incidents affecting tributaries flowing into Cowlands Creek in the Fal Estuary, as well as discharges into Polperro Harbour and Budshead Creek.

Separate criminal charges connected to spills at Holywell Sewage Pumping Station in Cornwall have already been admitted by the company but will be considered by the court at a later date.

Clarissa Newell, Environment Agency environment manager for Devon and Cornwall, said the case followed years of investigation work.

“Getting to this point and securing these guilty pleas was only possible thanks to years of thorough investigation and hard work by Environment Agency officers. They are committed to protecting Devon and Cornwall’s greatest assets – the beaches, waters and associated habitats.

“Polluters must pay and the Environment Agency continues to do everything in its power to ensure that they do.”

The case is not the first time South West Water has faced legal action over pollution.

In 2023, the company was prosecuted for 13 separate offences relating to incidents between July 2016 and August 2020 and was fined £2.15 million.

South West Water is the main water and wastewater provider for Devon and Cornwall, supplying millions of customers across the South West. Environmental performance by water companies has become an increasingly prominent issue nationally in recent years, with regulators stepping up enforcement action over sewage discharges and water pollution. Perhaps customers of South West Water would welcome the monetary outcome of any fines imposed to be deducted from their water bills.