Southern Water customers who refuse to pay their water bills in protest at sewage being discharged into rivers and seas could face a visit from private debt collectors, say the water company.
Sandra Laville reported in The Guardian last week that customers unwilling to pay their bills had been told by email that action would be taken and additional fees could be added to their bills for cover the cost of debt collectors.
SW: Paid bills ensures investment
The company said payment of customer bills was crucial, ensuring the company could make the relevant investment in their infrastructure.
In November 2021, after being told by Cllr Richard Quigley that there were over 800 instances between May and August where the roads had to be dug up for urgent water main repairs and that three million litres of water is lost from the Island’s water system every single day, the water company told News OnTheWight that,
“We have just commenced the rollout of a new technological approach to preventing bursts with the installation of ‘internet of things’ acoustic loggers across the network and the Island will benefit from this £135 million programme.”
Southern Water added that they are on track to reduce by 80 per cent all pollution incidents by 2025.
One-star rating
Southern Water – the company that supplies the Isle of Wight – received a one-star rating from the Environment Agency earlier this year, with the Chair of the EA reporting that Southern Water’s performance in the last year was “terrible across the board”, with a whole host of failures.
Fined £90m for
Last summer Southern Water was sentenced to pay record £90 million in fines for widespread pollution, after pleading guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges.
The offences were found to be caused by deliberate failings, causing major harm (Category 1) to protected areas, conservation sites and oyster beds.
In giving his sentence, the Honourable Mr Justice Johnson said,
“Each of the 51 offences seen in isolation shows a shocking and wholesale disregard for the environment, for the precious and delicate ecosytems along the North Kent and Solent coastlines, for human health, and for the fisheries and other legitimate businesses that depend on the vitality of the coastal waters.
“Each offence does not stand in isolation. It is necessary to sentence the company for the totality of the offences to which it has pleaded guilty. But even that does not reflect the defendant’s criminality. That is because the offences are aggravated by its previous persistent pollution of the environment over very many years.”
Image: © Maria Villa Vine
