South West Water was ordered to pay £32,967 in fines and costs in court last week for a series of illegal sewage discharges into Salcombe harbour.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

The spills occurred over an eight month period in 2011 when untreated sewage escaped from the town’s public sewer and surface water drainage system. The first was reported on March 22 when sewage was seen entering Salcombe harbour from a surcharging manhole at Chapel End. The manhole was located on a slipway beside the harbour.

An Environment Agency officer saw sewage discharging from the same manhole the following day and, after walking along the foreshore, saw a second illegal discharge from a manhole below the Ferry Inn Steps.

Further spills were recorded around the harbour over the August Bank Holiday and on October 27 and November 26. Two of the discharges were from manholes in Shadycombe car park. On August 30 Salcombe’s harbourmaster reported sewage spilling from a pipe adjacent to a slipway at Clifton Place.

An eyewitness reported seeing a ‘torrent of raw sewage’ including bits of nappies, sanitary towels and toilet paper flowing onto the foreshore from the manhole near the Ferry Inn steps on November 26. Describing the smell as ‘overwhelming’, the witness was so concerned he immediately alterted the Town Mayor who came down to the harbour to see the pollution himself.

Discharges caused by faulty control valve

South West Water confirmed the discharges were caused by a fault with a saline control valve that failed to open and caused sewage to back-up. This resulted in spillages from low-lying manholes within the sewerage system. The discharge from Shadycombe car park on August 29 was blamed on a blockage.

The company couldn’t attend the first spillage until the following day because the manhole became submerged by the rising tide. Contractors said sewage was escaping because a sealing plate below the manhole had broken.

It had replaced the faulty saline control valve just prior to the August Bank Holiday, but had failed to replace a piece of electronic equipment known as a tranducer that controls the opening and closure the valve. This caused the valve to operate incorrectly resulting in further illegal discharges of sewage

Spills indicated "complacency at grass-roots level"

‘Salcombe is unusual in that it relies on a control valve to ensure the town’s sewerage system operates properly. It is therefore vital South West Water regularly monitors this critical piece of equipment and ensures it is operating correctly at all times,’ said Pete Ball for the Environment Agency.

‘It is disappointing the illegal discharges continued after the old control valve had been replaced. This resulted from the company’s failure to fully test the new valve and accilliary equipment,’ said Pete Ball.

Appearing before Torquay magistrates on 1st June. South West Water Limited was fined a total of £24,000 and ordered to pay £8,952 costs after pleading guilty to six offences of discharging untreated sewage into Salcombe Harbour in breach of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. The company was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Magistrates said South West Water had a ‘public obligation’ to ensure its sewerage systems worked effectively and didn’t cause pollution. The illegal spills at Salcombe indicated there was ‘complacency at grass roots level’.

Since the offences, South West Water has started a £400,000 programe to improve Salcombe’s sewerage network. Improvements include the refurbishment of 420 metres of sewer and the sealing and replacement of manholes.