South West Water has published an update on its storm overflow performance following the publication yesterday by the Environment Agency of water company Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) Annual Return data for 2024 showing the frequency and duration of spills from storm overflows in England.

Key highlights flagged up by the water company include:

• The South West had a bigger share of the wet weather than the rest of the country (source: EA Water Situation report)
• We have reduced spills at beaches in the bathing season by 20% in the last five years but we are taking action on what our customers care about. We have already removed ¾ of the top 20 spilling sites from 2023.
• We’re backing this up with significant investment, with around £760 million being invested over the next five years to reduce the use of storm overflows.
• We’re also proud to be leading the industry on data and transparency. We monitor more accurately and record more comprehensively than most other water companies. For example, some spills last just a few minutes – we detect and record those, whereas others may not.
• Our monitors are operating reliably at 93.8% – the second best in the industry.
• Storm overflows are designed as pressure relief valves to protect homes and businesses from flooding. We are fundamentally changing how they are used across our region – and we’re already seeing success in places like Duloe and Rilla Mill, where investment and innovation are driving real improvements.

Richard Price, Managing Director of Wastewater Services at South West Water commented:

“We are one of only five companies in the industry to reduce spills compared to 2023. Our focus has been to reduce spills at beaches in the bathing season by 20% in the last five years as we continue to focus on what our customers care about. We have also been focused on the highest spilling sites from 2023 and have already removed ¾ of the top 20 sites.

“This is part of our 15-year investment plan – and while change on this scale takes time, we are already seeing positive results.

“We’re also proud to be an industry leader on data and transparency. We measure more spills, more often and therefore have highly accurate data.

“This progress has been made despite 2023/24 being the wettest hydrological year on record, with exceptional rainfall and groundwater. Against this challenging backdrop, the reduction in spills shows our plan is working – this is not an excuse but is important context.

“There is more to do and we are moving in the right direction driven by our determination to deliver on our customers' priorities.”

Click here to watch South West Water's explanatory video