Jail water firm bosses for 'appalling' pollution levels, Environment Agency says

15 July 2022, 10:20

Water company bosses should face jail time over "appalling" pollution incidents, the Environment Agency has said.

Four of England's nine water companies were rated by the agency as "requiring significant improvement" in a fresh report, with two others - Southern and South West Water - being described as "terrible across the board" with a red status.

Northumbrian Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities performed more positively and kept four stars.

The scathing report also revealed seven water companies had 62 serious incidents in 2021 – the highest since 2013.

"Serious incidents" reflect an extensive or persistent impact on the environment or people, with red status areas having had at least 42 incidents per 10,000km sewer.

Chairwoman of the Environment Agency Emma Howard Boyd said in a judgment that stricter penalties were needed to stop the water companies releasing sewage into rivers.

"Company directors let this occur and it is simply unacceptable," she said.

"Over the years the public have seen water company executives and investors rewarded handsomely while the environment pays the price.

"The water companies are behaving like this for a simple reason: because they can. We intend to make it too painful for them to continue as they are."

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Southern Water serves over four million people across Kent, Hampshire and Sussex.

It received a record £90 million fine for deliberately dumping sewage into waterways last year.

However, Ms Boyd suggested the move was no longer effective, with stricter measures needed.

"We would like to see prison sentences for chief executives and board members whose companies are responsible for the most serious incidents," she said.

"We would also like to see company directors being struck off so they cannot simply delete illegal environmental damage from their CV and move on to their next role."

The River Trust's Christine Colvin, told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "We're very concerned about this. We know that the level of health in our rivers at the moment – and our water environment – is really under pressure.

"Water companies along with agriculture are the two big sources of pollution in rivers at the moment.

"Sadly what came about in the report many of us working the sector already know.

"But what was new and strikingly different about it was the tone and the threat of responses - that the Environment Agency are now giving a very clear signal to water companies and their bosses that business as usual cannot continue.

When asked whether bosses should be jailed, Ms Colvin said: "It's a really difficult area."

She added: "I think that it's absolute fair cop. The threat is there for repeated offence of serious pollution incidents.

"I think that the Environment Agency and environmental charities like ourselves have tried absolutely everything in terms of raising awareness, signatures on petitions, we publish our sewage map which shows how widespread the problem is and all of that is still not driving the right behaviour and an urgent response from water companies.

"So yes, I do think that water company bosses should be jailed for repeat offences of these serious pollution incidents."

Jail bosses of polluting water companies

According to The Times, a spokesman for the environment department said: "This report shows that water companies are ignoring their legal responsibilities.

"Water company chiefs cannot continue to make huge profits whilst polluting our waters.

"We will not tolerate this behaviour and we will take robust action if we don’t see urgent improvements."