Southern Water

Southern Water Services Ltd
Limited Company
Industry Water industry
Founded 1989
Headquarters Worthing, West Sussex
Area served
 South England
Key people
  • Robert Jennings (Chair)
  • Matthew Wright (CEO)
Products
Production output
  • 0.529 Gl/day (drinking)
  • 0.730 Gl/day (recycled)
Services
Revenue
  • Increase£0.779 billion (2012-13)
  •     £0.716 billion (2011-12)
Number of employees
 2,092
Parent Southern Water Capital Ltd.
Website www.southernwater.co.uk
Tunbridge Wells South Wastewater Treatment Works

Southern Water is the private utility company responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and for the public water supply and distribution in approximately half of this area. Some areas within the Southern Water region are supplied by a number of smaller water supply companies.

It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991

History

The Water Act 1973 resulted in the formation of the Southern Water Authority (SWA), taking the responsibility away from the local authorities. Nevertheless, the SWA maintained a regional management approach, retaining three separate regional headquarters:

The authority took over the assets and duties of the following water undertakings:[1]

In 1989 the UK's water industry was privatised, and Southern Water Services Ltd. came into existence. The company was subsequently purchased in a hostile takeover bid by Scottish Power. Southern Water assets where considerably impacted during the period under Scottish Power. During this period, the bulk of in-house scientific laboratory services and assets were shut down, dismantled and sold off. The Scottish Power period was the most damaging to the company due to the reduction of company assets for little financial gain and a reduction of investment into the company. In 2002, Scottish Power sold the company.

In October 2007, Greensands Investments Limited purchased Southern Water Capital Limited, the owners of Southern Water Services Limited.

Southern Water today

The three main office buildings continue to be used for the administration and management of the company, along with a newer building in the West Durrington area of Worthing, West Sussex, which is the company's registered headquarters and houses the company's call centre and control centre.

Today the company supplies drinking water to roughly one million households through its 95 water supply works and 13,700 kilometres of water mains. Wastewater is treated by the company's network of 370 wastewater treatment works and almost 40,000 kilometres of sewers. Also, the treatment of sludge results in a nutrient-rich granulated fertilizer which the company sells to the farming industry.

Southern Water has also opened up some of their activities to the public. This includes the company running guided tours of the Victorian sewers of Brighton and Hove and public access to Bewl Water, one of the largest reservoirs in England.

In 2007 Southern Water was fined £20.3 million for 'deliberate misreporting' and failing to meet guaranteed standards of service to customers. Southern Water Chief Executive Les Dawson said: "Today's announcement draws a line under a shameful period in the company's history".[2]

In 2011 Southern Water Ltd was fined £25,000 when sewage flooded into Southampton water.

The company was ordered to pay £10,000 in fines and costs after sewage seeped into a stream at Beltinge in Kent [3]

A leak of sewage from Southern Water's plant at Hurstpierpoint pumping station, West Sussex, lead to fines and costs of £7,200 in 2011.[4]

Continuing poor publicity surrounds the sewer which serves the Nailbourne Valley in East Kent.

Southern Water was fined £50,000 in April 2011 for two offences relating to unscreened discharges into Langstone Harbour, Hampshire, between November 2009 and April 2010.

In June 2010 Southern Water was fined £3,000 after it admitted polluting 2 km of a Sussex stream with raw sewage, killing up to a hundred brown trout and devastating the fish population for the second time in five years. Crawley Magistrates’ Court heard that the Environment Agency received calls from members of the public after dead fish were seen in the Sunnyside Stream in East Grinstead on 30 August 2009.[5]

Investment

Southern Water is investing £1.8 billion in its assets between 2010 and 2015. This will maintain high quality supplies of drinking water to customers as well as the quality of the environment through safeguarding discharges from wastewater treatment works across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The investment is broken down as follows:

Work in the community

Southern Water has an extensive sponsorship programme for charities, schools and community groups which includes:

References

  1. ↑ The Southern Water Authority Constitution Order 1973 (1973 No. 1361)
  2. ↑ "Ofwat :: Regulating the Industry :: Enforcement :: Enforcement action :: Southern Water: customer service". Ofwat.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  3. ↑ "Southern Water fined after Herne Bay homes flooded with sewage". Kentonline.co.uk. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  4. ↑ 23 August 2011 (2011-08-23). "Southern Water fined £7,200 for pollution after pump failure". Utilityweek.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  5. ↑ "Southern Water fined for polluting river with raw sewage". Waterbriefing.org. 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
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