South West Water fined £1.8m over Brixham parasite outbreak

South West Water has been fined £1.8m after its supply in and around Brixham, Devon, was contaminated with the parasite cryptosporidium.

The utility firm was sentenced at Exeter Magistrates' Court following a prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The company had pleaded guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption.

Four people were hospitalised and more than 140 confirmed cases of sickness and diarrhoea occurred during the 54-day incident in May 2024.

Judge Stuart Smith described the event as a major public health incident in which disruption to daily life was extensive. He said the harm had been wide-ranging and profound and that the system of monitoring air valves had been inadequate.

The judge said there had been no visual inspection scheme of air valves, which showed a systemic failure of governance at South West Water. He reduced the £1.853m fine by a third because the company entered an early guilty plea.

South West Water offered those affected an unreserved apology and said it wanted to record its genuine remorse. The company responded rapidly once the contamination was discovered, deployed substantial personnel and provided financial remediation to those affected.

Keith Haslett, chief executive of the Pennon Group which owns South West Water, said the company must learn lessons and work to rebuild trust with customers and communities in Brixham and beyond.

The first cases were confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency on 14 May 2024. On 15 May the company confirmed traces of cryptosporidium in the supply network and issued a boil water notice to about 17,000 homes and businesses. The notice remained in place for 54 days for some properties before it was lifted on 8 July.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate found that cryptosporidium from animal faeces had entered the supply network on agricultural land, likely via an exposed and faulty air valve covered in mud.

Victim statements described flu-like symptoms, vomiting and diarrhoea. One person was taken to hospital by ambulance. Another drank water that tasted like it had come from a pond and later lost almost a stone in weight while on holiday. Jennifer Watts, 52, said her 10-year-old son spent three nights in hospital.