A water company has been handed the largest ever fine for polluting waterways in Devon and Cornwall.

South West Water (SWW) has been fined more than £2 million for a series of environmental offences across Devon and Cornwall spanning a period of four years.

It is the largest ever fine imposed for environmental offences in the region.

Delivering her sentence, District Judge Matson said ‘incidents of pollution will no longer be tolerated by these courts’ and fined the water company £2,150,000.

The Environment Agency (EA) showed that there were numerous common deficiencies in the implementation of SWW’s management systems which contributed to each of the offences.

Inaccurate and inadequate operational procedures led to harmful chemicals escaping from SWW sites on more than one occasion which resulted in significant environmental damage, including sites at Kilmington on the River Axe and in Crediton on the River Creedy.

Following the spill at Kilmington, thousands of fish died in the River Axe, including some protected species.

Failure by SWW to operate its assets and processes in an effective manner was also demonstrated at Lostwithiel in July 2016, where raw sewage was pumped into the River Fowey for more than 12 hours despite control room alarms indicating there was an issue with the works.

Not responding adequately to alarms the same year resulted in an illegal discharge from the Watergate Bay sewage pumping station in August 2016.

The discharge lasted for more than 35 hours and a sample taken from a stream at the beach showed E. coli levels to be 2,000 times higher than the level that would be classified as poor.

On two occasions, effluent from the Torpoint sewage treatment works was pumped into the St John’s Lake Site of Special Scientific Interest – this also lies within the Plymouth Sounds and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation. The site is designated due to its variety of bird life and invertebrates.

SWW had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing and District Judge Matson sentenced the company on 13 charges – six for illegal water discharge activities and for seven offences of contravening environmental permit conditions.

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On April 26 the water company was ordered to pay £280,000 costs and £170 victim surcharge.

Handing down the sentence, the judge said it ‘shows the shareholders and management of South West Water the importance of compliance’.

Alan Lovell, chair of the EA, said: "We welcome this sentence. Serious pollution is a serious crime – and we have been clear that the polluter must pay.

"The Environment Agency will pursue any water company that fails to uphold the law or protect nature and will continue to press for the strongest possible penalties."

The fine is to be paid solely from the company’s operating profits without being passed on to customer bills.

Clarissa Newell, Environment Agency environment manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: "Failure to apply basic environment management principles has caused pollution incidents at some of the most scenic locations in Devon and Cornwall including bathing waters and designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

"Having alarms to alert you that sewage is spilling is no good if no action is taken.

"Enforcement is intended to prevent these things from happening again and ensure South West Water improve and meet the expectations placed on it.

"Like all water companies, South West Water has a responsibility to operate in accordance with permit conditions and to prevent pollution. Polluters must pay and the Environment Agency will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that they do."