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

The Guardian Business Tuesday 29 September 2026, 15:19 UTC By Steven Morris 1 min read

Key Points

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

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

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.

Cornwall (LOCATION) Devon District (LOCATION) Devon (PERSON) South West Water (LOCATION)

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