Southern Water pledges improvements after fines
A water company fined a record £90 million (€104 million) for deliberately dumping raw sewage into the sea has come under fire again for its environmental performance.
Southern Water has been ranked one of England's worst water companies for pollution incidents last year, according to Environment Agency data.
It comes days after the firm was fined after admitting 6,971 illegal spills.
Southern Water said its performance was improving and it was investing £1bn over the next four years.
CEO Ian McAulay said: “I am deeply sorry for the historic incidents which have led to today’s sentencing and fine.
“I know that the people who rely on us to be custodians of the precious environment in southern England must be able to trust us. “What happened historically was completely unacceptable and Southern Water pleaded guilty to the charges in recognition of that fact.
“These events happened between 2010 and 2015. I joined Southern Water in 2017 and am passionately committed to the environment. We have changed the way we operate. My expectation is that Southern Water is fully transparent and operates in the right way. “We continue to transform across the areas of risk and compliance, measurement and self-reporting. We have made much progress and are continuing to invest to protect the environment and deliver our services safely and at a fair price for our customers.
“Today’s fine will not impact customers’ bills and investment in our transformation will not be reduced. Our shareholders are bearing the cost of the fine.”
Southern Water has been ranked one of England's worst water companies for pollution incidents last year, according to Environment Agency data.
It comes days after the firm was fined after admitting 6,971 illegal spills.
Southern Water said its performance was improving and it was investing £1bn over the next four years.
CEO Ian McAulay said: “I am deeply sorry for the historic incidents which have led to today’s sentencing and fine.
“I know that the people who rely on us to be custodians of the precious environment in southern England must be able to trust us. “What happened historically was completely unacceptable and Southern Water pleaded guilty to the charges in recognition of that fact.
“These events happened between 2010 and 2015. I joined Southern Water in 2017 and am passionately committed to the environment. We have changed the way we operate. My expectation is that Southern Water is fully transparent and operates in the right way. “We continue to transform across the areas of risk and compliance, measurement and self-reporting. We have made much progress and are continuing to invest to protect the environment and deliver our services safely and at a fair price for our customers.
“Today’s fine will not impact customers’ bills and investment in our transformation will not be reduced. Our shareholders are bearing the cost of the fine.”
