South West Water fined £8m for hundreds of sewage spills in Cornwall and Devon

District judge orders record fine for region and says incidents of pollution cannot be tolerated

Steven Morris

Published Sep 29, 2026

South West Water fined £8m for hundreds of sewage spills in Cornwall and Devon

A water company has been ordered to pay a record fine of almost £8m for hundreds of sewage spills at popular bathing spots and sensitive habitats in Cornwall and Devon.

On one occasion, untreated sewage gushed through a harbour wall on a bank holiday weekend but South West Water (SWW) engineers took 10 hours to attend.

Source: The Guardian ↗

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South West Water fined £8m for hundreds of sewage spills in Cornwall and Devon

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