In a hearing at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, South West Water Ltd has pleaded guilty to five offences related to illegal water discharge activities and a breach of an environmental permit.

The charges against the water utility company stem from several incidents in 2019 and 2020. The company admitted to two charges relating to the Hooe Lake Sewage Pumping Station in Plymstock between August and September 2020, where it caused a sewage discharge and breached an environmental permit.

South West Water also pled guilty to causing a discharge into Polperro Harbour in August 2019, as well as two charges related to discharges at Bodmin Road in Whitleigh, Plymouth in August and September 2020.

The case has been adjourned for sentencing at a later date. In the meantime, the details of the charges are as follows:

Hooe Lake:

1. Causing a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of untreated sewage, not in accordance with a permit.

2. Breaching a condition of an environmental permit by allowing a discharge of raw sewage when the flow passed forward was not equal to or greater than the overflow setting.

Polperro:

3. Causing a water discharge activity, namely a discharge into Polperro Harbour, not in accordance with an environmental permit.

Bodmin Road:

4. Causing a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into inland freshwaters, except under an environmental permit.

5. Causing a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into inland freshwaters, except under an environmental permit.

The guilty pleas from South West Water come as the company faces scrutiny over its environmental record and water quality issues. The sentencing will be closely watched to see what penalties the court imposes for these illegal discharges.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​