Anglian Water To Pay Over £62m Over Sewage Failures

Anglian Water is facing paying a penalty of £62.8m for failures in managing its wastewater treatment works and network.

Ofwat says the company, responsible for waste water in and around Market Harborough, allowed ‘excessive spills from storm overflows’ – where sewage enters rivers and waterways.

An investigation by the industry regulator found a ‘serious breach’ in how the company managed its sewage works.

The firm could have been fined £57.1m but Ofwat said Anglian Water had acknowledged its failures and agreed to fund investments.

Toilet paper, wet wipes and sanitary products washed up on the banks of the River Welland in Market Harborough in March

Lynn Parker, Ofwat’s senior director for enforcement, said: “Our investigation has found failures in how Anglian Water has operated and maintained its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows.

“This is a serious breach and is unacceptable.”

Nearly £6m of the penalty is set to go towards a community fund to support projects focusing on restoring the water environment.

Anglian Water was criticised in March when a storm drain discharge led to toilet paper, wet wipes and sanitary products washed up on the banks of the River Welland in Market Harborough.

Cllr Darren Woodiwiss (Green Party) is Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for Climate Change and Neighbourhood services.

He gave his reaction to HFM:

Toilet paper, wet wipes and sanitary products washed up on the banks of the River Welland in Market Harborough in March

Mark Thurston, CEO for Anglian Water, commented: “We understand the need to rebuild trust with customers and that aspects of our performance need to improve to do that. Reducing pollutions and spills is our number one operational focus, and we have both the investment and the partners in place to deliver on those promises as part of our £11bn business plan over the next five years. In the meantime, we have proposed this redress package, recognising the need to invest in the communities and environments most impacted.

“It will take time and investment to achieve a significant reduction in spills, but we are making good progress. By 2030 we have allocated a dedicated £1bn for measures such as storm tanks, upgraded monitoring, nature-based solutions like wetlands, and sustainable drainage solutions to halve the number of spills.