South West Water Ltd has been ordered to pay nearly £2 million in fines after admitting to supplying water unfit for human consumption during a parasitic outbreak in Devon. The company faced prosecution following the contamination of the water supply in the Brixham area with cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal illness.
Court proceedings and fine
At Exeter Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Stuart Smith imposed a fine of £1.853 million, along with a surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £75,000, bringing the total penalty to £1.93 million. The company had previously pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 70(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991.
Impact on residents
The outbreak led to 143 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis, with 126 identified as the specific Brixham strain. Hundreds of people reported becoming unwell, including children, with some requiring hospital treatment. More than 16,000 homes and businesses were issued boil water notices, which lasted up to 54 days for some properties.
Joe Millington, representing the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), told the court that the UK Health Security Agency was first alerted to five cases by Torbay Hospital on May 10, 2024. Tests confirmed the presence of the parasite in the water supply on May 15. Boil notices were initially issued to 16,221 properties, affecting a population of 38,930 people. The notices were partially lifted on May 18 and fully removed on July 8.
Victim statements
In victim statements summarised to the court, residents described the severe impact on their lives. One person said they felt as if they had been “beaten up” after experiencing flu-like symptoms, vomiting, and diarrhoea, requiring hospital admission. Another recounted drinking tap water that “tasted like it had come from a pond” before falling ill during a family holiday in Spain, leading to an eight-day period without food and weight loss of almost a stone.
A mother reported that her young son had been hospitalised multiple times due to his illness, leaving him distressed and anxious. Headteachers noted a drop in school attendance in the weeks leading up to GCSE exams, with a “clear negative impact on exam outcomes,” according to Mr Millington. One school reported five teachers off sick simultaneously.
Source of contamination
The court heard that the water supply became contaminated at two sites on a farm in Devon. The contamination is believed to have entered through an air valve that had been damaged by a third party. The valve, located in a field where cattle were moved on April 19, had not been visually inspected since 2011, despite a company policy from 2020 requiring such inspections. When examined during the outbreak investigation, the valve was found missing its cover and surrounding chamber, damage that had not been reported to South West Water.
Dominic Kay KC, representing South West Water, offered an “unreserved apology” on behalf of the company, stating that senior management wished to “record publicly its genuine remorse for this incident.” He noted that the company had acted “entirely reasonably and properly” from the moment it was notified of the outbreak by the UK Health Security Agency.
Financial and reputational fallout
South West Water’s owner, Pennon, previously estimated the total cost of the outbreak at nearly £40 million, including £36 million for the contamination incident and associated “reshaping and transformation programmes.” The company also owns Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water, and SES Water.
Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, Caroline Voaden, commented after the hearing: “I hope today brings some closure for the campaigners who have worked tirelessly to ensure the trauma they experienced in May 2024 was not forgotten. Words like incompetent and reckless are so often used to describe our broken water industry that they have almost lost their meaning. But the truth is South West Water failed at their most basic duty, and no amount of money will ever fully regain the customer trust they squandered.”
