Anglian, South West Water Pay £86 Million Over Wastewater Failures

UK water regulator Ofwat has imposed fines totaling over £86 million on Anglian Water and South West Water for serious breaches related to wastewater spills and failures in maintaining storm overflows and sewage networks. Anglian Water and its shareholders face a £62.8 million penalty aimed at benefiting the environment and customers, while South West Water is fined £24 million. Investigations revealed both companies failed to adequately run, maintain, and upgrade their wastewater operations, lacking sufficient senior management oversight to ensure legal compliance and proper asset performance. Ofwat emphasized these breaches as unacceptable and highlighted the public demand for transformative change in the sector. Both companies have acknowledged their failures and are now working to address the issues and return to compliance. This enforcement action forms part of a sector-wide investigation holding wastewater firms accountable for operational failures.