Wessex Water it was ordered to pay £11 million over wastewater treatment failures and spend it on improvements to reduce sewage spills and other measures.
Ofwat, the industry regulator for England and Wales, said Wessex Water and its shareholders would fund a total compliance package of £11 million, none of which would be paid for by customers through invoices.
The watchdog found Wessex Water failed to properly operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater network to ensure it could cope with wastewater and wastewater flows.
The company, which this year increased their accounts by an average of 20%, or £113.serves households in Bristol, Dorset and Somerset, as well as most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.
Measures Wessex Water has been ordered to take include helping private landowners seal sewer pipes, reducing spills from certain storm events by attracting investment, installing additional monitoring equipment and helping clients manage rainwater sustainably on their properties.
It is the sixth case in Ofwat's “largest and most complex set of investigations”. all companies in the industry and their management of wastewater treatment plants and networks. The regulator has already imposed fines of more than £240 million on Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Northumbrian Water, Anglian Water and South West Water this year.
Lynne Parker, senior director of enforcement at Ofwat, said: “Our investigation found that Wessex Water failed to effectively operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater treatment plants, meaning stormwater spills resulted in spills when they should not have occurred.
“To its credit, the company was one of the most proactive in investigating and correcting the issues identified. However, there are still violations that need to be taken into account and corrected.
“We understand the public wants to see transformative change. That's why we are prioritizing a sector-wide investigation, which has so far brought five wastewater companies to justice.”
Since 2020, Wessex Water has invested more than £150 million in stormwater upgrades across its region and plans to address many wastewater issues over the next five years. However, Ofwat said the company needs to take additional measures, which the watchdog will continue to monitor closely.
In June government bans bonuses for water supply companies it failed to protect the environment from the worst of pollution following widespread public outrage over the volume of sewage in Britain's rivers and seas. Wessex Water chief executive Ruth Jefferson was among water executives banned from receiving £4 million in bonuses over the last financial year.
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Water companies in England may face more fines, and automatic ones, for wastewater discharge under new powers of the Environmental Protection Agency. Pollution Investigations may take years and less than 1% have resulted in criminal prosecution.
A Wessex Water spokesman said: “We regret the impact our wastewater treatment performance has had on customers and the environment.
“When problems were identified at our wastewater treatment plants we quickly fixed them, but we agree there is still more to be done – particularly in areas where groundwater enters the sewer network and can lead to overflows occurring long after rainfall.
“The proposals in this package will address the problem directly by sealing pipes on private lands that we typically have no authority over, as well as additional monitoring and initiatives such as water barrels and rain gardens to help customers treat rainwater as a valuable resource. This not only prevents pollution, but also reduces the risk of sewer flooding for the public.”
