Southern Water appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court in Kent last week on Tuesday 22 April 2025, following an Environment Agency investigation into pollution incidents which took place between 2019 and 2021.
In court, the water company pleaded guilty to charges relating to a number of unpermitted discharges from Margate, Broadstairs and Weatherlees Hill Wastewater Pumping Stations during this time period – the case was adjourned for sentencing at a later date.
In a statement released by Southern Water, CEO Lawrence Gosden said:
“We’re sorry that in the past the company failed its customers at these sites in North Kent, and we acknowledge the concern they rightly feel.
“With new leadership, and a Turnaround Plan launched in 2021 we’ve set out to put these kind of incidents firmly behind us.
"Backed by new shareholders, we’re making the improvements needed to transform the company. The Turnaround Plan has already delivered a large reduction in total pollution events, and we’re investing heavily to upgrade our infrastructure.
“In Thanet alone, since 2020 we’ve invested more than £28 million in our wastewater sites - including a significant pump replacement project for Margate and Broadstairs, repairs to the major sewer between Margate and Weatherlees, and a huge Thanet-wide sewer upgrade scheme.
"We plan to spend a further £47 million over the next ten years in the area, which will include boosting the resilience of the local power supply, and improving pump capacity and wastewater processes at these critical sites."
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
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