Wessex Water should pay £11m over wastewater failures, says regulator

A regulator has proposed that Wessex Water should pay £11 million over failures to adequately operate and maintain its wastewater network.

Wessex Water and its shareholders will fund the enforcement package, according to initial proposals from Ofwat.

It follows similar investigations and payouts from water firms earlier this year including Yorkshire Water, Thames Water, Northumbrian Water, Anglian Water and South West Water.

These resulted in enforcement actions worth around £240 million.

On Tuesday, the watchdog said the failures related to the maintenance of Wessex Water’s network to ensure it could cope with flows of sewage and wastewater.

It added that this resulted in spills from storm overflows.

Ofwat stressed that the company will not be able to cover the cost of the enforcement action through its customers or increases to bills.

However, it comes after the company put up its water bills by an average of 20%, or £113, this year.

Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said: “Our investigation has found that Wessex Water failed to effectively operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater assets, which meant there were spills from storm overflows when there shouldn’t have been.

“To their credit, the company has been one of the more proactive in investigating and rectifying the problems identified.

“However, there remain breaches which must be accounted for and corrected.”

The water company, which is owned by Malaysian firm YTL, is required to help local landowners seal sewer pipes to prevent unnecessary groundwater reaching Wessex Water’s network as part of the enforcement plans.

Ofwat has also said it must reduce spills at specific storm overflows through investment, and install additional monitoring equipment.

A Wessex Water spokesman said: “We regret the impact our wastewater performance has had on customers and the environment.

“When the issues at our treatment sites were identified we were quick to fix them, but we do agree that there is much more to do – particularly in areas where groundwater enters the sewerage network and can result in overflows operating long after rainfall events.

“The proposals in this package will tackle the problem directly, sealing pipes on private land that we would not normally have powers over, as well as additional monitoring and initiatives like water butts 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 communities.

“Looking ahead, we are planning a step change in the maintenance of our sewerage infrastructure with investment of £300 million in this area by 2030, with expansions to some of our key waste treatment sites either already under way or completed.”