A water company has been given what is believed to be a record £2 million fine after untreated sewage polluted the sea and beach during a bank holiday weekend.
Southern Water was penalised after a waste water pumping station became overwhelmed by a heavy storm. Sewage including tissue, sanitary pads, condoms and wipes were strewn across beaches in Kent.
The pumping station in Margate, Kent, was not operating as efficiently as it should have been after the thunderstorm on May 30, 2012, and the pollution recurred again on June 2, even though this could have been prevented, Maidstone crown court was told. The station flooded and there were further discharges into the sea and on to the beach.
“The message must go out to directors and shareholders that repeated offending of this nature is wholly unacceptable,” Judge Adele Williams said, imposing the fine today.
The company, which admitted causing or knowingly permitting the discharges, had 160 previous convictions for environmental offences, three of which involved pollution in Kent. It was given 28 days to pay the fine.
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Richard Banwell, for the prosecution, said that the pollution on June 1 was on a bank holiday when the Queen’s jubilee celebrations were taking place. The beaches were closed for swimming for nine days and businesses and residents suffered.
Mr Banwell said that analysis of the flow to treatment pumps showed that they had failed to reach the levels required under its environmental permit during the entire period between August 17, 2011, and September 25, 2012. “Efforts to remedy the problem were self-evidently inadequate in spite of the fact the company has already been prosecuted for numerous breaches of permit between January and July 2011, due to failures of the flow to treatment pumps.
“Southern Water Services maintained the pumping station was overwhelmed during the first storm event by the levels of incoming flow, which they assessed as greater than would be expected by the design of the pumping station. As a result, even a fully functioning pumping station would have made no difference to the outcome.
“The Environment Agency does not accept that position as it is not supported by the model upon which the operation of the pumping station was based, the meteorological radar data and subsequent flood event estimation.
“Southern Water accepted that the failure of the pumping station during the second storm event was due to human error and should not have occurred.”
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Simon Oates, Southern Water’s director of strategy, said: “We apologise unreservedly for the failure of the waste water pumping station at Foreness Point near Margate. Since 2012 we have invested £4 million in the site and have a further £6 million investment plan.
“We’re working hard with partners such as the Environment Agency and Thanet District Council to ensure that the area’s bathing water is cleaner than ever. Thanet’s beaches are some of the best in the country, boasting seven blue flags and three seaside awards. Many now consistently achieve ‘excellent’ bathing water quality alongside ‘excellent’ status in tourism surveys.
“We will continue to invest in the site and work with our partners to ensure Thanet’s bathing waters are clean now and in the future.”
After the hearing, Madeline Homer, the chief executive of Thanet District Council, said: “This is clearly a regrettable incident which impacted on the area and I am pleased that Southern Water has taken full responsibility for it today. I am, however, extremely heartened that in recent years Southern Water has made significant investment to improve the site and is taking a much more collaborative approach to ensuring that Thanet’s bathing waters continue to improve and are amongst the highest quality in the country.”