SERIOUS pollution incidents by water companies were up by more than half last year, according to data from the government.

Incidents were up 60 per cent in 2024 from the previous year, the new report from the Environment Agency (EA) shows.

The report shows consistently poor performance from South West Water and other water and sewerage companies.

The EA assesses all pollution incidents, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) incidents being the most serious.

In 2024, 75 category 1 and 2 incidents were recorded, a steep rise from 47 serious incidents the previous year.

Most of these serious incidents – 81 per cent - were the responsibility of just three water companies – Thames Water (33 incidents), Southern Water (15 incidents) and Yorkshire Water (13 incidents).

All pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) have increased by 29 per cent: last year water companies recorded 2,801 incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023.

South West Water was responsible for four serious incidents – twice as many as the previous year.

Total pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) decreased by six per cent compared to 2023.

However, South West Water had the highest number of incidents per 10,000km of sewer in 2024 compared to other water companies.

Reasons behind the 2024 sector results include persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience due to the impacts of climate change.

The Environment Agency is particularly concerned about the increasing trend in pollution spills from pipes carrying wastewater uphill – these accounted for 20 per cent of the serious incidents in 2024 and impacted some protected waters for wildlife and swimming.

Environment Agency officers carried out 335 inspections of South West Water sites and assets last year. Issues from these inspections are flagged to the water company so it can focus on strengthening its network, its service to customers and its obligations to the environment.

Clarissa Newell, Environment Agency water industry regulation manager, said: ‘The demands put on Devon and Cornwall’s water and sewage systems are huge from residents as well as visitors.

‘When something goes wrong like it did at Exmouth last year, it hurts not just local confidence in South West Water but also our ability to attract tourism.

‘South West Water needs to take on board impact from climate change and population growth when building for the future and not just fix when things fail’.

Alan Lovell, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said: ‘This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets.

‘The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does.

‘We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account.

‘With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law’.