Wessex Water fined £11 million for wastewater failures

Vikki Slade, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, has joined fellow South West  Liberal Democrat MPs in condemning Wessex Water following Ofwat’s announcement of an £11 million enforcement package for repeated wastewater failures. 

Ofwat’s investigation found that Wessex Water [which provides sewerage, but not water services, to Dorset] had failed to properly manage and operate its wastewater treatment works and sewer networks, leading to repeated sewage spills into local rivers and seas. The company has agreed to an £11 million enforcement redress package.

In a joint statement, South West Liberal Democrat MPs said:

“Wessex Water has gotten away with environmental vandalism for far too long, carelessly polluting beaches and rivers throughout the South West with filthy sewage.

“No amount of money from Wessex Water could atone for the damage already done, but we must ensure these reckless water companies put an end to sewage dumping and stop putting profit above people once and for all.”

Vikki Slade added:

“I am saddened but not surprised. In England, almost a third of every water bill now goes towards servicing debt or paying dividends, that’s a scandal. People are paying more and getting dirtier rivers in return. It’s time we put people and the planet before profit.

“Labour must get a grip on this crisis. They need to urgently establish a new, independent water regulator with the power to prosecute polluters, enforce meaningful fines, and block shareholder payouts when rivers are poisoned.”

The Liberal Democrats have made tackling sewage pollution a national priority. Vikki and her colleagues are calling for:

• Tougher regulation to hold water companies properly to account;

• “Blue flag” protections for rivers, mirroring the standards already applied to beaches;

• A root-and-branch review of private ownership in the water industry, ensuring money from bills goes into cleaning up rivers, not shareholder profits.