Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is in hot water for not monitoring sewage discharges at hundreds of sites, facing a hefty fine.
Wrexham: So, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is really in a bind right now. They’re looking at a massive fine because they didn’t keep tabs on sewage discharges properly. This all came to light in court, where it was revealed they messed up at around 300 sites across Wales back in 2020 and 2021.
They could be hit with a fine that runs into six figures! Just a couple of years ago, they were already fined £180,000 for similar issues. It seems like they just can’t catch a break.
The case was brought up by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), and during the hearing, the judge mentioned some hiccups with the court service that delayed the defense documents. So, they had to push the hearing to February next year. Talk about a wait!
Earlier, a lawyer for NRW pointed out that Welsh Water is responsible for both drinking water and sewage treatment. He claimed they didn’t stick to the rules for self-monitoring at those 300 sites. Apparently, there were over 800 offenses, but they only picked a few to prosecute.
One NRW officer even said the quality of info from Welsh Water took a nosedive in 2020. They were late with their reports, and it seemed like the new sampling team just didn’t get the hang of things. That’s a bit worrying, right?
While NRW didn’t have solid proof of pollution, they were concerned that the ongoing breaches could lead to some issues. The late reporting really shook public trust in their monitoring system.
Things did get a bit better after a meeting in 2021, but there were still 127 permit breaches recorded. The prosecution costs are piling up too, running into tens of thousands of pounds. They’ve got 45 witnesses lined up to testify, which is quite a lot!
The judge, Gwyn Jones, was clear that it wouldn’t be fair to start sentencing without having all the papers in front of him. He did mention that this case is way more serious than the last one due to the number of offenses involved.
Interestingly, there were also some alleged failures to comply with permits in a few other locations, but no further evidence was presented for those. It’s a bit of a mess, and it looks like Welsh Water has a tough road ahead.