Anglian Water has been fined a record £1.42 million at Northampton Crown Court following a prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) for drinking water failures affecting around 1.3 million people.
Between June and December 2021, the company reported to the Inspectorate that they had used unapproved materials at four separate sites across its network. The affected pipes had been installed into drinking water tanks between 2016 and 2019. They remained in supply until 2021.
Anglian Water reported the failures to the Drinking Water Inspectorate and pleaded guilty in court.
The DWI’s investigation found the company had repeatedly used unapproved plastic-based products to externally coat pipework submerged within their drinking water tanks. These coatings later broke down into flakes and powder which entered the water supply.
Marcus Rink, Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate said:
“Public health and drinking water quality must be the highest priority, and there can be no compromise.”
“We’ve taken firm action in the public interest to ensure the company has removed all non-compliant material so that customers can remain confident in their water supplies.”
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:
“Contamination of drinking water on any scale is scandalous and a complete disgrace.
“The record £1.4 m fine handed down sends a clear signal that this criminal behaviour is unacceptable.
“As part of our Plan for Change, our landmark Water Act means polluting water bosses face two-year prison sentences and bans unfair multi-million-pound bonuses.”
All of the issues identified across Anglian Water’s network have now been rectified. As part of its role to ensure that water supplies remain safe, the Inspectorate said it uses robust scientific, evidence based investigatory methods to ensure water companies comply with legislation and are appropriately held to account.
The DWI said the investigation also uncovered wider issues around Anglian Water’s management of its materials and contractors. It found a lack of staff training, poor oversight of the supply chain, and in some cases, water tanks continued to be used even after the company knew they contained unapproved products.
Anglian Water pleaded guilty to five offences under regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016. These regulations are in place to ensure only tested, approved and safe materials come into contact with drinking water. While serious breaches like this are rare, this case highlights how crucial it is for companies to follow rules carefully – or face serious consequences if they fail to do so.
In response an Anglian Water spokesperson said:
“We apologise for and regret breaching Regulation 31 and accept the judgement for the four sites in 2021. The procedures we had in place fell short and as a result, we have since invested significantly to improve these and have shared our learnings across the water industry.
“Protecting the water supply of our customers could not be more fundamental to our business, this is reflected in the fact we have not had a drinking water prosecution in over 20 years.
“Despite the breach, there was no evidence of any contamination of the water supply and the judge agreed based on independent expert reports that the risk to customers was very low. This view was supported by DWI-appointed experts, UKHSA. We continue to work with our regulator to ensure best practice is followed at all times.”
