I wanted to make you aware that tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February 2025) Southern Water will be attending Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court, following charges presented by the Environment Agency (EA).

While we cannot go into the specific details of this case currently until the charges are confirmed, we want to be transparent with you ahead of the first court hearing.

These charges relate to historical unpermitted discharges from our Thanet wastewater sites in Margate, Broadstairs and Weatherlees Hill between 2019 and 2021, in breach of the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.

We are sorry for our past failures in this area and at these sites, and acknowledge the concern rightly felt. We have fully supported this EA investigation, and we have simultaneously completed our own extensive internal reviews.

Since these discharges happened, we have built a new leadership team, backed by new shareholders, to drive the improvements needed to transform the company. Our Turnaround Plan has already delivered a large reduction in total pollution events, and we are investing heavily to upgrade our infrastructure.

In Thanet alone, since 2020 we have invested over £28 million in our wastewater sites and sewer network. This includes a major £8m improvement project at Margate and Broadstairs Wastewater Pumping Station, which has strengthened the resilience of the site. We’ve also spent more than £16m improving the sewer network throughout Thanet, making it more robust by replacing ageing sewers, which has reduced the risk of flooding.

We will be entering our new five-year business plan in April 2025 and it’s our most ambitious plan yet, driven by protecting and improving the environment.

Subject to regulatory approval, further significant investment will be made in Thanet in the coming years. Between 2025-35 we’re proposing to spend £47.2m improving the resilience at our Thanet wastewater sites, protecting the environment and reducing the use of storm overflows. Broadstairs is a key location in our Clean Rivers and Seas plan.

We will keep you updated throughout the legal process, as well as provide more details on the improvements being made in Thanet. Please do contact me if you have any queries.

Kind regards.

John

John Mealey

Stakeholder Engagement Manager – Kent

M. 07708 488502

southernwater.co.uk