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| Anglian Water to pay £62.8m penalty due to spills, Ofwat confirms | Anglian Water to pay £62.8m penalty due to spills, Ofwat confirms |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The penalty will be funded by Anglian Water shareholders, Ofwat says | The penalty will be funded by Anglian Water shareholders, Ofwat says |
| Ofwat has confirmed that Anglian Water must spend £62.8m on improvements because of "excessive" sewage spills in times of storms. | Ofwat has confirmed that Anglian Water must spend £62.8m on improvements because of "excessive" sewage spills in times of storms. |
| The water regulator had already proposed the penalty for the private company earlier this summer. | The water regulator had already proposed the penalty for the private company earlier this summer. |
| Ofwat has also revealed that 16% of sewage plants owned by Anglian Water did not have the necessary capacity to hold untreated sewage at times of high rainfall, risking it pouring into rivers. | |
| A spokesperson for the firm, which serves most of the East of England, said it would spend £1bn reducing sewage discharge. | A spokesperson for the firm, which serves most of the East of England, said it would spend £1bn reducing sewage discharge. |
| Ofwat also ordered South West Water to spend £24m on improvements. | Ofwat also ordered South West Water to spend £24m on improvements. |
| "These are serious breaches and are unacceptable," said Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat. | "These are serious breaches and are unacceptable," said Lynn Parker, senior director for enforcement at Ofwat. |
| "We understand that the public wants to see transformative change. | "We understand that the public wants to see transformative change. |
| "That is why we are prioritising this sector-wide investigation which is holding wastewater companies to account for identified failures." | "That is why we are prioritising this sector-wide investigation which is holding wastewater companies to account for identified failures." |
| She said she was pleased both companies had accepted they "got things wrong" and were "focusing on putting that right". | She said she was pleased both companies had accepted they "got things wrong" and were "focusing on putting that right". |
| Ofwat started its investigation into Anglian Water in March 2022. | Ofwat started its investigation into Anglian Water in March 2022. |
| It found the firm was discharging untreated sewage into rivers and did not have the monitoring equipment to know if or where discharges might be happening. | It found the firm was discharging untreated sewage into rivers and did not have the monitoring equipment to know if or where discharges might be happening. |
| A report published earlier said 16% of sewage plants - 58 in total - did not have sufficient storm tank capacity to meet the requirements of the environmental permit. | A report published earlier said 16% of sewage plants - 58 in total - did not have sufficient storm tank capacity to meet the requirements of the environmental permit. |
| Ofwat said Anglian Water could have been fined £57.1m - paid to the Treasury - but had instead agreed to spend £62.8m to help stop sewage spills and fund environmental projects. | Ofwat said Anglian Water could have been fined £57.1m - paid to the Treasury - but had instead agreed to spend £62.8m to help stop sewage spills and fund environmental projects. |
| The money would come from company shareholders, the regulator said. | The money would come from company shareholders, the regulator said. |
| The firm provides water for Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and parts of Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. | The firm provides water for Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and parts of Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. |
| Anglian Water says it will ensure spills from storm overflows are "minimised" and "assets are compliant with legal requirements". | Anglian Water says it will ensure spills from storm overflows are "minimised" and "assets are compliant with legal requirements". |
| Mark Thurston, chief executive officer for Anglian Water, added: "It will take time and investment to achieve a significant reduction in spills, but we are making good progress." | Mark Thurston, chief executive officer for Anglian Water, added: "It will take time and investment to achieve a significant reduction in spills, but we are making good progress." |
| He said £1bn would be set aside by 2030 to spend on "storm tanks, upgraded monitoring, nature-based solutions like wetlands and sustainable drainage solutions to halve the number of spills". | He said £1bn would be set aside by 2030 to spend on "storm tanks, upgraded monitoring, nature-based solutions like wetlands and sustainable drainage solutions to halve the number of spills". |