Anglian Water Services Ltd has been ordered to pay over £50,000 for failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with a requirement to provide records by the Environment Agency.
The order includes a £25,000 fine, £190 victim surcharge and £25,000 in costs.
Sentencing took place today (Friday, July 5) at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court after the water company was convicted on May 24.
This is the first conviction of its kind by the Environment Agency against a water company and the agency said it sets a precedent for the regulation of non-compliant companies.
Since launching the investigation into Anglian Water Service Ltd’s compliance, the Environment Agency has served several statutory requirements for records on the company.
Anglian Water Services Ltd has been convicted of failing, without reasonable excuse, to respond to one of these notices, served between dates in January 2022 and January 2023.
The company had entered a not guilty plea to the charge, claiming that it had a reasonable excuse for non-compliance.
Having heard the evidence in the case, District Judge Kenneth Sheraton rejected the water company’s claim.
The case against Anglian Water Services Ltd arose out of a wider criminal investigation involving all ten English water companies looking into potential non-compliance with environmental permit conditions at over 2,000 wastewater treatment works.
Anglian Water
Anglian Water Services Ltd supplies water and wastewater services to more than six million domestic and business customers in the east of England and Hartlepool.
It was convicted on one count of failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with a requirement imposed under Section 108 of the Environment Act 1995, contrary to Section 110(2)(a) of the Environment Act 1995.
It was charged with three matters of failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with a requirement imposed under section 108 of the Environment Act 1995, contrary to section 110(2)(a) of the Environment Act 1995 between January 2022 and January 2023.
