- Southern Water was fined £2.4m over five pollution offences between 2019 and 2021.
- Sewage and diesel affected waterways, beaches and a shellfishery around Kent.
- The company was also fined more than £7m in July over sewage discharges in Margate and Broadstairs.
Southern Water has been fined £2.4 million over a series of pollution incidents in Kent, adding to the company's environmental penalties this year.
The latest fine was imposed at Bromley Magistrates' Court after Southern Water pleaded guilty to five charges relating to incidents around Whitstable and Faversham between 2019 and 2021.
In August 2021, untreated sewage entered Swalecliffe Brook in Whitstable from a wastewater pumping station. Around 70 dead fish, including eels, were later found following the incident.
Further sewage discharges that month led Canterbury City Council to warn people against swimming at Tankerton and Herne Bay beaches for nearly a week because of concerns over water quality.
The pollution also affected waters around Whitstable Harbour, a designated shellfishery, according to the Environment Agency (EA).
Pollution incidents across Kent
The case also covered a diesel leak in July 2019, when a failed generator at a wastewater treatment plant allowed diesel to enter Swalecliffe Brook and the sea. A warning was issued advising the public and their pets to stay out of the water.
In March 2020, untreated sewage entered Faversham Creek for three days after pumps at another treatment plant stopped working. The EA said Southern Water also failed to initially report the circumstances of the incident to the regulator.
An almost identical incident occurred at Swalecliffe Brook in October 2020, the EA said.
Lindsay Faulkner, the EA's environment manager for Kent, said the pollution and disruption could have been avoided if Southern Water had managed its operations better.
“They didn't have the checks in place to deal with problems,” she said.
“Water companies must learn to identify and fix problems before the environment pays the price. We will continue to hold Southern Water to account.”
Southern Water was ordered to pay £2,416,666.67 in fines, along with £69,894.04 in costs and a £190 victim surcharge.
The latest penalty comes only two months after the company was fined more than £7m over sewage discharges from pumping stations in Margate and Broadstairs between 2019 and 2021.
A Southern Water spokesman apologised for the incidents and said the pollution at Faversham Creek and Swalecliffe Brook occurred during “extremely heavy rainfall which overwhelmed our network”.
The company said it had invested more than £35m in and around Swalecliffe since April 2020, increased stormwater storage capacity and recorded a 36 per cent reduction in storm overflows since 2023.
It added that further work was needed to improve its wastewater network and water quality across Kent.
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