Anglian Water to pay out £63m after 'excessive' sewage spills
Water regulator Ofwat said on Tuesday Anglian Water has proposed a £62.8million penalty and remedial action following an investigation.
The watchdog said the east of England water company, which serves nearly seven million customers, had 'breached its legal obligations' in operating its wastewater treatment network.
The water industry has come under fire for discharging sewage into rivers and seas, with outflows at record levels.
Yorkshire Water, South West Water, Thames Water and Northumbrian Water are among the firms that have faced similar enforcement action so far in 2025, collectively facing penalities over £160million.
At the same time, domestic bills have increased by an average £10 a month as the sector embarks on a multi-billion pound infrastructure upgrade package.
Anglian Water said in a statement the proposed redress package will be 'entirely funded' by shareholders, rather than customers.
Ofwat's investigation into Anglian Water found it had failed to operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater assets to ensure they could 'cope with the flows of sewage and wastewater coming to them'.
As part of the package of measures, Ofwat said £5.8million of the penalty would go towards a community fund to support environmental and social projects.
'Our investigation has found failures in how Anglian Water has operated and maintained its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows,' Lynn Parker, Ofwat's senior director of enforcement said.
'This is a serious breach and is unacceptable.'
Anglian Water said it planned to accelerate investment to reduce spills at high-risk sites and implement a longer term plan to ensure spills from storm overflows are minimised.
Mark Thurston, chief executive of Anglian Water said: 'We understand the need to rebuild trust with customers and that aspects of our performance need to improve to do that.
'Reducing pollutions and spills is our number one operational focus, and we have both the investment and the partners in place to deliver on those promises as part of our £11billion business plan over the next five years.'
The independent Water Commission, led by Sir John Cunliffe, was set up in response to outrage over sewage spills and rising bills.
The review, published last week, concluded that Ofwat would need to be scrapped in favour of a new regulator.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Rail & Sail ferry service to Belfast ‘set up to fail'
The number of passengers using a flagship rail and ferry service between Scotland and Northern Ireland has tumbled to 12 a day. Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Times reveal the 'Rail & Sail' service carried 4,400 passengers in the year to 2025, compared with 15,000 passengers five years previously. A drastic cut in service levels has been blamed for the 71 per cent drop in annual passenger numbers since 2019. Services were curtailed during the Covid-19 lockdowns, with tickets valid only on a single train, coach and ferry combination each day. This system remains in place. Before the pandemic, several options were available daily. Colin Smyth, Labour's MSP for South Scotland, accused SNP ministers of allowing the service to be 'set up to fail' and called for a direct rail link to Cairnryan port, which replaced Stranraer as Scotland's ferry gateway to Belfast. Currently, passengers must take a coach from Ayr to the port, a transfer that a rail expert says is the root of the problem. 'The rot set in when Stena Line moved operations from Stranraer, where the port directly adjoined the railway station, to the remote Cairnryan,' said Mark Smith, who founded the travel website The Man in Seat 61. He said the service 'appears to have reneged on the promise to provide a bus connection, reducing service to one per day'. Colin Smyth said the once-popular 'boat train' was no longer viable for most travellers owing to its inflexibility. 'By cutting the connection back to a single daily coach, the journey has been made so awkward and inflexible that it's no longer a viable option for most travellers,' he said. He believes the service is being intentionally run down so it can be written off due to 'lack of demand', a move that he says goes against the Scottish government's commitment to promote public transport and reduce transport emissions. Despite the low usage, some travellers have complained that the service was often sold out when they try to book online, with some opting for direct coach transfers from Glasgow instead. The low numbers have also led to instances of the bus leaving Cairnryan with a single passenger onboard. Transport Scotland said that a rail link to the port had been considered in 2022 as part of a strategic transport review but the idea was rejected because it 'was not expected to provide value for money'. Campaigners argue that the current situation goes against Scotland's national transport strategy, which prioritises public transport over cars. Ellie Harrison, a transport campaigner, said this strategy needs to be 'reflected in the cost of the different transport modes, so that the lower-carbon journeys are always cheaper.' She added that with ScotRail now in public ownership, it should be a priority for the government to promote the service and help reduce short-haul flights. In response, ScotRail's commercial director, Claire Dickie, said the company was 'committed to supporting the Rail & Sail route and encouraging sustainable travel options'. She said that ScotRail was working with Stena Line to make the service more 'appealing and reliable for customers' and that ticket sales to Belfast via Cairnryan were 'up 35 per cent so far in 2025'. Stena Line echoed this sentiment, calling the Rail & Sail service 'a key part of the Stena Line travel offer' and stating that the company 'would welcome improvements in rail services and products'. A Transport Scotland spokesman said any commercial decisions related to ticket initiatives would be for Stena Line to decide, in liaison with other operators such as ScotRail.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Villagers whose country idyll was 'destroyed' by traveller site overnight furious after family submits retrospective permission to make site permanent and some are even considering moving
A luxurious property has gone on the market just weeks after an illegal travellers' site appeared on its doorstep. The stunning four-bedroom detached bungalow – priced at offers around £950,000 – is less than 150 yards from the caravan park, which is built on green belt land and without planning permission. Set in 3.5 acres of rural land, the high-specification property includes stables and a hot tub area, perfect for entertaining friends. Estate agents Stapleton Derby described the home as: 'Set within a peaceful rural location and offering superb access to all major motorway connections. 'This absolutely stunning, newly built four-bedroom detached bungalow presents a rare opportunity to acquire a luxurious home with its own equestrian facilities and expansive land. 'Designed with elegance and practicality in mind, the property is a true sanctuary, combining high-end finishes with thoughtful architectural detail. 'Externally, the front of the property welcomes you with a charming courtyard and ample parking for multiple vehicles. 'To the rear, a private oasis awaits, featuring patios, a hot tub, decking with seating areas, an Astro turf lawn, and a large pergola with its own bar and social space —perfect for entertaining or unwinding in style.' The current owners made the decision to sell as villagers fear the caravan camp, which sprung up in May – will knock hundreds of thousands of pounds off property prices. Rex Bennett, 78, said: 'Judging from past experiences of travellers' sites appearing close by, house prices will definitely fall. 'I've lived here nearly 40 years, and it's happened before when travellers' site spring up. 'The value of people's houses will fall and the owners lose money. 'Whether the reasons are justified or not, no one would choose to live near a caravan site.' He added: 'I haven't heard of anyone having trouble with the travellers but that doesn't make what they have done right. 'They have been very clever about how they have gone about building it. 'Turning up on a Bank Holiday weekend, knowing full well they wouldn't be stopped. 'It was very well thought out.' Stephen Holgate, 55, said: 'I don't have a problem with the site but then again, I don't have to live next to it. 'I'm not sure how I'd feel if they were my neighbours.' The travellers tore up the protected six-acre greenbelt plot, in Burtonwood, Cheshire, in just 72 hours – covering it in hardstanding and erecting a 10ft perimeter fence. The site located between Tan House Lane and Farmer's Lane was lit up like 'Blackpool Illuminations' at night according to one neighbour. Warrington Borough Council said it was aware of the 'potential breach of planning control' and vowed to 'take strong enforcement action within the legal framework.' A retrospective application has been submitted seeking full planning permission for a change of use of land associated with Tan House Farm. The documents state the change of use is for a gypsy and traveller residential site, with four pitches and associated landscaping, and the installation of a farm gate to a footpath on the corner of Tan House Lane and Farmers Lane. Applicant John Varey said the pitches can accommodate a mix of 16 caravans and mobile homes, occupied by Romani gypsies. The report added: 'All of the proposed occupants grew up in nomadic families and have continued to follow that way of life. The families travel in caravans for work and to attend fairs. 'The site is in the greenbelt, however, the land represents 'grey belt', and on that basis, the development is not necessarily inappropriate within the green belt.' Planning documents continued: 'The proposed site provides four gypsy and traveller pitches which are safe, well-designed, and ensure that the site will be private and provide a favourable living environment. 'The proposals include substantial planting and screening, which will result in an on-site biodiversity net gain 'The site will be well screened and capable of integrating with the area, which is characterised by farmland and some other pockets of residential development. 'The site is already connected to water, and connection to the electricity grid is proposed and achievable. 'The package treatment plant and welfare units facilitate the effective management of foul waste. 'The entire site remains permeable, ensuring that surface water will soak away, and the site is well drained with a ditch along the northern boundary. 'Given the families' lack of alternative accommodation, their living standards have been greatly improved since moving onto the application site.' Villagers have already expressed concerns that a metal gate has been installed on a public right-of-way. The planning document read: 'The metal gate is 3.6m, and a 1.2m gap is left to the right-hand side for pedestrians which enables continued access to the public right of way. 'The road is owned by the applicant and the gate is locked with a padlock. For reasons relating to fly-tipping and security, we would argue that the gate should be approved as part of the planning application.' The council has been inundated with objections by villagers. One objector wrote: 'The land has been destroyed without any planning permission, our greenbelt completely vandalised with absolutely no regard to the rules or residents. 'It is absolutely disgusting that this has been allowed to happen.' Another said: 'The site has damaged the natural beauty of the area and transformed once green belt land into a caravan park. 'Not only this, but a footpath has been obstructed with little to no consideration for anyone who plans to use this regularly used route. 'Failure to reject this planning application will only lead to further exploitation of the system in similar ways around the area, which will seriously damage an area of considerable natural beauty and wildlife.' But one letter of support read: 'I have spoken with some of the people on the caravan park at the village café. 'They were polite, friendly, and explained the situation of Warrington having no caravan sites for them to live on. I am happy with them being there. It is better than them on our parks.' The council is expected to reach a decision on the retrospective planning application later in the year.
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Hilary Weston, businesswoman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas dies aged 83
Hilary Weston, the Dublin-born businesswoman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas as part of her husband Galen Weston's family retail empire, has died aged 83. As The Irish Times reports, Ms Weston died in England, where she lived in recent years. Advertisement She was prominent in the early days of Penneys after the family business bought the ailing Todd Byrne's department store and established the budget fashion chain. She is said to have personally overseen the production of clothing for the in-house brand the company introduced early on, Primark, which would ultimately give its name to the wider chain outside Ireland. She was later prominent in running Brown Thomas for a considerable time after her husband purchased the long-established retailer. In the years that followed she served as vice-chair of Holt Renfrew, the group's luxury retail chain in Canada. Advertisement Ireland 'It is a terrible deal': UCD economist says EU was... Read More She held a variety of other positions in the wider family's interests, which included the conglomerate Associated British Foods (ABF), of which Penneys was a subsidiary; Fortnum & Mason; and Loblaws, the largest food retailer in Canada. She also oversaw a major property development in Florida. Born Hilary Frayne in Dún Laoghaire in 1942, she was the eldest of five children and attended Loreto Abbey, Dalkey. She started to work as a model in the 1950s and was successful at it, working extensively in Ireland and internationally. She met her future husband after he saw her on a billboard advertisement and had auctioneer Corrie Buckley arrange an introduction. The couple married in 1966. Having initially settled at the Roundwood Park estate in Wicklow, the family moved to Toronto in 1971 and Ms Weston later became a Canadian citizen.
