The Environment Agency’s demanding action after inspections
The Environment Agency has demanded urgent improvements from South West Water after inspections revealed numerous faults at wastewater sites in Devon and Cornwall.
As part of a nationwide effort that saw 10,000 inspections across the water industry, the Environment Agency conducted over 860 checks specifically on South West Water sites between 2025 and 2026.
Inspectors uncovered a range of issues including missing, broken, or blocked screens at sites intended to prevent solid waste from entering water. Additional findings included leaking pipes, cracked tanks, seeping liquids, faulty monitoring equipment, and inadequate maintenance leading to blocked channels, overgrown vegetation, and sludge accumulation.
Environment Agency staff have intensified their checks over the past two years, aiming to prevent pollution by ensuring water companies are compliant with environmental permits.
The number of inspections of South West Water assets, which include sewage treatment works and storm tanks, has risen by 125% compared to the previous year.
Following these inspections, South West Water has been tasked with 250 actions to ensure compliance with permits. Of the sites inspected, 76% were found to be compliant.
Clarissa Newell, Environment Agency water industry manager for Devon and Cornwall, said:
“These inspections are not new. They are essential health checks of the vital infrastructure that supplies clean drinking water and proper sewer systems.”
Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency’s Director for Water added:
“In our role as regulators of the water industry, we are changing how we operate – with better data, our largest ever enforcement workforce and greater powers to do our job effectively.”
Minor breaches in permit conditions must be addressed to maintain compliance and prevent pollution, while serious breaches with higher pollution potential could lead to enforcement action.
The Environment Agency is using data from these inspections to build intelligence on water company operations and non-compliance trends, which will inform its regulatory approach in the future.
Increased staffing, monitoring of storm overflows, enhanced powers, and more inspections are part of measures to improve the water industry’s environmental performance. Over the next five years, £22.1 billion has been committed for industry investment to meet tighter environmental standards.
