Thames Water has been fined £3.33m by Lewes crown court for deliberately misleading the Environment Agency and causing pollution in UK rivers, such as Sussex and Surrey
The incident resulted in the death of several thousand fish and widespread damage to British ecosystem.
Thames Water has been hit with a £3.33m fine by Lewes crown court after millions of litres of untreated sewage flooded two rivers located near Gatwick Airport.
The incident, which occurred in late 2017, led to the death of numerous fish and caused severe damage to the affected ecosystems.
Negligence and missed opportunities caused pollution in UK rivers
Judge Christine Laing KC DL criticised Thames Water for deliberately misleading the Environment Agency during its investigation.
The pollution incident was caused by a pump activation error at the company’s sewage treatment works in Crawley.
This resulted in sewage and rainwater being discharged into the Gatwick Stream and subsequently into the River Mole, despite the absence of significant rainfall. Investigators found around 1,400 dead fish, but the Environment Agency believes the actual number to be much higher.
Reckless failure and major environmental impact
During the investigation, Jamie Lloyd, a senior environment officer at the Environment Agency, highlighted Thames Water’s failure to prevent the pollution incident.
He stated that staff were unaware of malfunctions leading up to the incident and took no action to intervene. Thames Water initially denied any responsibility but later pleaded guilty to four breaches of environmental law.
The company’s lack of adequate pollution management systems and failure to respond to alarms were seen as contributing factors to the incident’s major environmental impact.
Significant fines for Thames Water
The Environment Agency deemed Thames Water’s failure to implement and enforce pollution prevention systems as a “reckless failure.”
The court was informed that the company had previously been fined £35.7m between 2017 and 2023 for pollution incidents. In addition to the £3.33m fine, Judge Laing ordered Thames Water to pay £128,961.05 as the Environment Agency’s costs.
Pollution prevention in UK rivers to be undertaken
Thames Water’s deliberate misleading of the Environment Agency has resulted in a substantial fine of £3.33m.
The pollution incident, caused by the overflow of raw sewage into rivers near Gatwick, caused the death of thousands of fish and significant environmental damage.
The case underscores the need for water companies to prioritise the implementation and enforcement of pollution prevention measures to safeguard the environment.
