Southern Water Achieve Worst Environment Agency Rating In England Since 2015

Southern Water have been rated one star (poor) in an annual report released by the Environment Agency yesterday (Friday).

The body said it's the first company to be rated as 1 star since 2015l.

It recorded 430 pollution incidents during 2019, 7 of which were considered 'serious'.

That's more than double the number of incidents recorded in 2018 (150).

The annual report rates each company in England from 1 star to 4 star, based on a range of measures including serious pollution incidents, pollution per km of sewer pipes and compliance with permits. 

The Environment Agency said:

"While the number of serious water quality pollution incidents from water company sewerage and clean water assets has plateaued - with a slight improvement to 52 compared to 56 in 2018 - the total number of pollution incidents has increased.

"In light of these results, both the Environment Secretary George Eustice and the Chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd, will be holding meetings with all underperforming companies to discuss improving their poor performance." 

The EA has also requested all water companies develop, publish and implement specific plans to reduce the pollution incidents by the end of this year, which the EA can scrutinise and monitor, challenging companies where needed to ensure they deliver. 

Environment Agency chair Emma Howard Boyd said: 

"We cannot transform water quality in the way we all want if water companies' environmental performance continues to backslide.

"Severn Trent and Wessex Water show high performance is possible, and United Utilities were the best performing company for serious pollution incidents for the second year in a row, but the evidence suggests that the rest of the sector isn't listening. 

"I will be meeting water company chairs in the coming weeks to make it clear that we expect much more.

"This includes developing, publishing and implementing specific plans by the end of this year to reduce pollution incidents.

"We will closely follow the delivery of these plans and will apply tough regulation to ensure companies stick by them." 

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

"Water companies have a responsibility to act as custodians of the environment and this report for 2019 shows that some are failing to take their obligations seriously. That is not good enough. 

"We have the rightly ambitious target in our 25 Year Environment Plan to bring at least three quarters of our waters as close as possible to their natural state as soon as possible and are bringing forward a legally binding target on water quality in the Environment Bill.

"Our new Environmental Land Management scheme - replacing the EU CAP scheme - will also play a critical part in reducing some of the farming practices which pollute our waters. 

"Certain water companies must step up and do better, which is why I will be meeting those who are falling short of our expectations to discuss how we can work together to drive better performance."  

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow, along with representatives from EA and Ofwat, also met with water company CEOs on 8 September and reiterated the need for improvement specifically on storm overflows, chalk streams and leakage. 

You can read the full report here.