Anglian Water faces a £62.8 million enforcement package from the water regulator following serious failures in managing its wastewater treatment works and network. Ofwat announced the penalty must be paid by the company and its shareholders "for the benefit of the environment and their customers".
The regulator's investigation found that failures by Anglian Water led to "excessive spills from storm overflows" across its network. The company failed to adequately run, maintain and upgrade its wastewater operations to ensure they could cope with incoming sewage and wastewater flows.
Senior management oversight failures
Ofwat also discovered that Anglian Water lacked adequate processes and oversight from senior management and its board to ensure operations were performing properly and meeting legal requirements. The regulator described this as a "serious breach" that is "unacceptable".
Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat, said the investigation revealed significant operational and maintenance failures at sewage works and networks. She emphasised that the public wants to see "transformative change" and praised the sector-wide investigation for holding wastewater companies accountable.
Company accepts responsibility
Parker welcomed Anglian Water's acceptance that it "got things wrong" and noted the company is now focusing on putting matters right and taking action to return to compliance. The enforcement package represents one of the largest penalties imposed on a water company for wastewater failures.
As part of the settlement, Anglian Water will create a £5.8 million community fund to support projects delivering environmental and social benefits for local communities. The fund will focus specifically on improving the water environment in affected areas.
Investment in infrastructure improvements
The company will also invest £57 million into developing excess flow management plans to adequately deal with wastewater flows in at least eight catchments across its region. These plans are designed to provide local environmental improvements and prevent future overflow incidents.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
