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Record £90m fine for Southern Water following EA prosecution | |
admin | |
2021-07-09 | |
发布年 | 2021 |
语种 | 英语 |
国家 | 英国 |
领域 | 资源环境 |
正文(英文) | Record £90m fine for Southern Water following EA prosecutionSouthern Water sentenced to pay record £90 million in fines for widespread pollution after pleading guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges. Southern Water has today (Friday 9 July) been handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. The sentence follows 51 guilty pleas to widespread and long term breaches of environmental law by Southern Water between 2010 and 2015. The offences were found to be caused by deliberate failings, causing major harm (Category 1) to protected areas, conservation sites and oyster beds. The case, which is the largest criminal investigation in the Environment Agency’s 25-year history, saw pollution offences from 16 waste water treatment works and one storm overflow brought together in one prosecution at Canterbury Crown Court. In giving his sentence, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson said:
Southern Water charges its customers for treating wastewater and is required by permit to properly treat wastewater so as to protect the environment. Instead, the court heard SWS admit to causing 6,971 illegal discharges over the offending period (2010-2105), which lasted a total of 61,704 hours, the equivalent of 2,571 days or just over seven years. The court were told Southern Water deliberately presented a misleading picture of compliance to the Environment Agency, hindering proper regulation of the company. The discharges were made into highly sensitive protected areas including numerous conservation sites, causing major environmental harm (Category 1) to shellfish waters. This negatively impacted businesses and community groups, with discharges into designated shellfish waters causing a long-term deterioration in the shellfish flesh quality – leaving some areas unsuitable for harvesting shellfish for human consumption – resulting in lost business for shellfish producers. The Environment Agency’s successful prosecution secured the largest fine for environmental pollution by a water company to date, which will be paid out of company operating profits – protecting customers from having to pick up the tab for illegal pollution. Chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd said:
The Environment Agency has worked closely with Ofwat, the economic regulator, which imposed a £126 million penalty on SWS in 2019 as a result of the company’s regulatory failings over the same period. Today’s sentencing is part of the criminal investigation into permit breaches and environmental harm. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
Published 9 July 2021
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来源平台 | UK Environment Agency |
文献类型 | 新闻 |
条目标识符 | http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/332902 |
专题 | 资源环境科学 |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | admin. Record £90m fine for Southern Water following EA prosecution. 2021. |
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