South West Water (SWW) has pleaded guilty to a series of pollution offences across Devon and Cornwall under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations. The Environment Agency (EA) said the prosecution concluded at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, with sentencing scheduled for 4 June 2026.
The case spans 18 counts in total: 17 for illegal discharge activities, including untreated sewage discharges, and one for failing to take reasonable remedial measures following a pumping station failure. Offences occurred between January 2015 and July 2021 at Bodmin (Nanstallon Sewage Treatment Works), Harlyn, Halvarras near Playing Place, Polperro and Plymouth.
At Nanstallon near Bodmin, there were 336 unlawful spills in the seven years to March 2020. Discharges entered the River Camel, a Special Area of Conservation that supports Atlantic salmon, bullhead and otters, according to the Environment Agency.
At Harlyn Sewage Pumping Station, untreated sewage was discharged on 231 occasions between January 2016 and July 2021 into the Harlyn Stream. Harlyn beach is widely used by residents and visitors, increasing public interest in the site’s compliance record.
An incident at Hooe Lake Sewage Pumping Station in Plymouth began on 28 August 2020 and continued for 88 hours until 1 September, resulting in a prolonged discharge of untreated sewage. Hooe Lake is designated as a priority habitat, and SWW also admitted breaching permit condition 2.3.1 by failing to take all reasonable remedial measures to restore normal operation promptly.
Further offences included a discharge into Polperro Harbour on 25–26 August 2019 and separate discharges into Budshead Creek, Whitleigh, on 27–29 August 2020 and again on 6 September 2020. Three of the offences occurred over an August Bank Holiday weekend.
Several criminal charges relating to Holywell Sewage Pumping Station, covering 2016–2021, have already attracted guilty pleas and will be considered at a later date to be determined. The Holywell site drains to a stream that flows onto Holywell Bay Beach.
The legal basis for the charges includes Regulations 12(1)(b) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting Regulations in relation to unauthorised water discharge activities, and Regulations 12(1)(a) and 38(2) for failing to take reasonable remedial measures following a breakdown. In plain terms, these offences concern operating outside permit conditions and not acting quickly enough to stop and remedy failures.
SWW entered guilty pleas on 14 November 2024 for counts concerning Hooe Lake, Polperro and Budshead Creek, and on 26 September 2025 for counts relating to Nanstallon, Harlyn, Halvarras and Holywell. The EA said the outcome followed years of investigation by its officers.
SWW has relevant enforcement history. In 2023, the company was prosecuted for 13 offences committed between July 2016 and August 2020 and was fined £2.15 million, as recorded by the Environment Agency.
Policy Wire analysis: the case underscores the compliance expectations placed on water undertakers under the Environmental Permitting regime. Prolonged discharges, sensitive receiving waters and high-use bathing locations materially increase regulatory exposure, making timely remediation, telemetry, and incident response central to permit assurance.
The next step is sentencing. Plymouth Magistrates’ Court is listed for 4 June 2026, while a separate hearing will be arranged to address the already-admitted Holywell charges. Stakeholders should monitor the sentencing outcome for indicators of future enforcement priorities.