South West Water serious incidents double in 2024

4 hours ago

Jake Wallace

BBC News, South West

South West Water says it is heavily investing in its infrastructure

BBC Storm overflow pipe at a beach in Cornwall. The pipe is coming from beneath a platform overlooking the sea. The hole is covered by a metal grate and liquid is pouring out of the pipe and into the sea — South West Water says it is heavily investing in its infrastructure

Data from the Environment Agency shows South West Water (SWW) had double the amount of serious pollution incidents in 2024 compared to the previous year.

The Environment Agency released the information in its Pollution Incident Report, which showed serious pollution incidents by water companies had risen by 60% in 2024.

The water utility firm had four serious incidents in 2024, compared to two in 2023, and the highest number of incidents per 10,000km of sewer compared to other water companies.

SWW said it was the only company to have fewer incidents overall in 2024 compared to 2023 but admitted there was "further to go" to improve its environmental performance.

The Environment Agency records the number of times pollution such as untreated sewage is released from water company sites, such as treatment works, into the country's waterways.

'Confidence reduced'

The agency said its officers had carried out 335 inspections of SWW sites and assets last year.

The report shows SWW's total number of pollution incidents decreased by 6% compared to 2023.

The agency's industry regulation manager Clarissa Newell said the demands put on Devon and Cornwall's water and sewage systems were "huge".

She said incidents like the sewage spill in Exmouth in 2024, which led to no swim zones, reduced confidence in SWW and the region's ability to attract tourism.

"South West Water needs to take on board impact from climate change and population growth when building for the future and not just fix when things fail," she said.

SWW gave customers bottled water after a parasite outbreak left tap water undrinkable in the Brixham area in 2024

PA Media An aerial view of a carpark where stacks of bottled water are being collected by people and taken to their vehicles. — SWW gave customers bottled water after a parasite outbreak left tap water undrinkable in the Brixham area in 2024

SWW said the report showed it was one of three water companies to have the lowest number of overall pollution incidents in 2024.

'Systemic failure'

"We have continued to reduce our pollution incidents in the first half of 2025, and we have maintained our sector-leading performance in preventing wastewater flooding to homes and business," it said.

"We know there is further to go to improve our environmental performance, which remains our top priority."

The company said it was investing £3.2bn over the next five years to protect the environment and future-proof its network.

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: "This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets."

The agency said it was committed to doubling the number of SWW inspections by April 2026.

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