Latest news with #SWW
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Tresco islanders told to boil water after bacteria found
Boil notices have been issued for people living and staying on an island off the coast of Cornwall, after bacteria was found in water West Water (SWW) said the boil water notice had been issued to about 80 properties after samples taken in the New Grimsby area of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly identified "low levels of coliform bacteria".The company said the cause of the outbreak was being investigated and such notices were normally lifted after two days of clear is the second issue reported with water systems in the Isles of Scilly this week after a faulty pipe led to supplies running low on the neighbouring island of Bryher. The NHS said most coliform bacteria live in humans and animals harmlessly, but it can cause infection if it gets into certain parts of the body, such as the bladder or said coliform bacteria was widely distributed within the environment and can survive and grow in said any bacteria could be killed by boiling the water. "We are investigating the cause and have taken actions to resolve the issue such as increasing chlorine levels within permitted limits and flushing the network," a SWW spokesperson added."Other parts of the island are being tested, and at this stage, New Grimsby is the only area affected."the company said those affected are being "updated regularly on the situation".
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Water supplies return to island as pipe fixed
A faulty pipe which cut off water supplies on parts of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly has been repaired. South West Water (SWW) said its engineers had worked through the night to fix the issue and it hoped to have supplies back to normal by lunchtime on Thursday. People on the island have told the BBC water supplies had returned for some properties who were experiencing issues, but some were still without water. SWW, which set up a bottled water station on the island's quayside, said disruption would be experienced by some while the system returned to normal and it was sorry for any inconvenience caused. A SWW spokesperson said: "We would like to thank the community on Bryher for their patience and understanding whilst we carried out repairs to a faulty pipe. "We have been working through the night and hope to get water supplies back to normal by lunchtime today, although there may be some disruption while the system is recharging." People living on the island said it was a relief to have supplies back on. Chris Hopkins from Fraggle Rock Bar and Cafe said tourists were due to arrive on Bryher from St Mary on Thursday, so it was "good timing". He added there had been some confusion in the island about what was going on and said the communication from SWW had not been great. "I think they should have taken charge of the situation," Mr Hopkins added. A SWW spokesperson said the company was sorry for communications not reaching customers quickly enough. "We are now talking to them to make sure they are fully informed," they added. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ More on this story Island told to conserve water amid pipework fault South West Water boss Susan Davy to retire Enforcement action of £24m for water firm failures Related internet links South West Water
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Bryher supplies return as South West Water fixes faulty pipe
A faulty pipe which cut off water supplies on parts of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly has been West Water (SWW) said its engineers had worked through the night to fix the issue and it hoped to have supplies back to normal by lunchtime on on the island have told the BBC water supplies had returned for some properties who were experiencing issues, but some were still without which set up a bottled water station on the island's quayside, said disruption would be experienced by some while the system returned to normal and it was sorry for any inconvenience caused. A SWW spokesperson said: "We would like to thank the community on Bryher for their patience and understanding whilst we carried out repairs to a faulty pipe."We have been working through the night and hope to get water supplies back to normal by lunchtime today, although there may be some disruption while the system is recharging." People living on the island said it was a relief to have supplies back Hopkins from Fraggle Rock Bar and Cafe said tourists were due to arrive on Bryher from St Mary on Thursday, so it was "good timing".He added there had been some confusion in the island about what was going on and said the communication from SWW had not been great."I think they should have taken charge of the situation," Mr Hopkins added.A SWW spokesperson said the company was sorry for communications not reaching customers quickly enough."We are now talking to them to make sure they are fully informed," they added.
ITV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- ITV News
South West Water: What are its 'range of failures' and why does it need to spend millions?
South West Water (SWW) will have to spend £24 million to improve the region's water infrastructure after an industry regulator investigation. The company faced backlash from environmental campaigners, surfers, and swimmers in May 2025 over sewage pollution. One year ago, the seaside town of Brixham made headlines across the country as it grappled with an outbreak of a diarrhoea and vomiting illness, following a contamination of cryptosporidium in the water supply. What has happened? The industry regulator Ofwat's investigation found a "range of failures" in how the company managed its wastewater treatment works and sewer network. These failures resulted in SWW spilling wastewater into the environment when it should not have done. It said it "failed to meet its legal obligations", pointing to a lack of adequate management systems, including oversight from the senior leaders and board. Lynn Parker, Ofwat's Senior Director of Enforcement, said: "We've found significant failings that have led to more spills than the law allows over a significant number of years so we consider this to be systemic failings. SWW has proposed spending £24 million under an "enforcement package" to target storm overflows, tackle sewer misuse, and provide funding for environmental groups. This will be funded by the company and shareholders. As a result, it has avoided being fined by Ofwat which would have been the lesser amount of £19 million - 6.5% of its annual turnover - going back to the Treasury. This investigation is part of work by Ofwat and the Environment Agency to review all water and wastewater companies in England and Wales. What is wastewater treatment? 'Wastewater' includes surface water running off roads and roofs and 'foul sewage' from toilets, sinks, and showers. This water is treated through chemical and biological processes and then pumped into rivers and the sea. Initially it's screened to get rid of large solids like wipes and sanitary towels and then smaller elements like grit from the roads. 'Settling' in large tanks allows the sludge to accumulate on the bottom so cleaner water can go on to be aerated by oxygen being added. After further settling, clean water is released into rivers. SWW has 655 Waste Water and Treatment Works (WWTW) which it says is one of the highest amounts across the industry. They treat 585 million litres of sewage daily, serving 1.8 million customers across Devon, Cornwall, and parts of Somerset, Dorset, and the Isles of Scilly. What issues have South West Water faced? May 2025: the Government announced four criminal investigations will be carried out into SWW following hundreds of reports and complaints about sewage pollution on beaches. April 2025: hundreds of homes and businesses were left without water for several days after a burst water main in Plymouth. An Environment Agency report showed in 2024 SWW had 56,000 spills (28,000 in 2023). Duration of storm overflow usage increased to 544,000 hours (531,000 in 2023) March 2025: the Environment Agency won a case against SWW which tried to prevent 12 charges relating to sewage discharges in Cornwall being taken forward in a prosecution. It's facing charges for illegal discharges and breaches of environmental permits including at Hooe Lake Sewage Pumping Station, Polperro Harbour and Bodmin Road Plymouth between 2016 and 2021. Nov 2024: SWW pleaded guilty to five charges relating to illegal water discharges and breaching environmental permits in Plymouth and Polperro. Sept 2024: More than 300 residents and businesses in Exmouth threatened legal action against SWW because of their concerns over sewage spills on the beach leading to a series of no-swim warnings. July 2024: SWW was ranked among the worst performing water companies in the UK with the Environment Agency's assessment reading "requires improvement" after the company discharged sewage into rivers and seas more than 58,000 in the previous year. May 2024: More than 16,000 households and businesses in Brixham were told to boil their drinking water after the cryptosporidium parasite was found in the supply, leading to an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting. Two people were taken to hospital while hundreds of others fell ill. What is South West Water addressing the issues? South West Water has taken already taken some steps to address its compliance issues. It says it has invested more than £16 million to remedy the 21 WWTW that failed to meet requirements. It is in the process of delivering a storm overflow reduction plan investing to reduce spills and greater oversight of its compliance with environmental obligations. Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, has had the company's CEO Susan Davy on 'resignation watch' for some time. He said: "I think they have a long standing plan in place for different asset management periods but what I want them to do now is accelerate that pace and show they know the sense of urgency residents have around this. "I would urge a real caution of Susan Davy as to whether she looks at taking her bonus this year after all of this news." When asked if Davy should resign, Louise Rowe, SWW's Director of Compliance, said: "Susan became CEO in 2020. Some of the areas are historical. "Under her leadership SWW has significantly upheld the governance, we've put hundreds of millions of pounds into the wastewater activities and all of that has been recognised by Ofwat in their report that improvements have happened. "We will continue to make the improvements needed where wastewater activity needs it across our beautiful region. " South West Water CEO, Susan Davy, said: 'We are pleased that Ofwat has completed its review into wastewater at South West Water as part of its sector wide investigation. "For South West Water this related to historical issues. I have always said that when things go wrong, it is how we respond and put things right and that is exactly what we are doing. "In response to Ofwat's findings, we have proposed a ringfenced investment programme of £24m to spend more to further reduce spills, tackle sewer misuse and establish a Nature Recovery Fund, benefiting environmental groups in Devon and Cornwall and the wider community.
Daily Mirror
23-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Over 13,000 households to get compensation payout worth £200 after major water disruption
Thousands of Brits are set to get a compensation payout of £200 after seeing a major disruption to their water supply over the last few days. Residents of Devon, Plymouth, Tavistock, and Torquay experienced a major water outage over the weekend. Around 13,000 properties across the areas lost access to water from Sunday. Supplier - South West Water (SWW) - confirmed that the outage was due to a major water main burst. The water supplier announced today that it had successfully restored the water supply across west Devon today, adding that every part of its water network was "back in operation". In a statement released today, it said: "It can take time for water to flow throughout the network due to topography and increasing demand, but we are monitoring our systems carefully and can confirm water is flowing throughout the network." The company also noted that as the water comes back into service, it is normal to expect discolouration, which should clear after running your cold kitchen tap. A spokesperson for SWW said: "We are pleased to say that customers should now be back in supply. We want to apologise again for the inconvenience this has caused, but we would also like to thank all of our customers for their patience and kindness to our teams on the ground providing bottled water." From universal credit to furlough, employment rights, travel updates and emergency financial aid - we've got all of the big financial stories you need to know about right now. Sign up to our Mirror Money newsletter here. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that households affected by the outage would receive a compensation payment worth £200. South West Water said it would credit affected domestic customers with a guaranteed £50 per 12 hours without service and £50 for each subsequent 12-hour period. It said: "This is over and above the current statutory amounts of £20 per 12 hours and £10 per subsequent 24-hour period." South West Water said it would compensate business customers by paying £100 per 12 hours without service and £100 for each subsequent 12-hour period. Join Money Saving Club's specialist topics In association with Money Saving Club For all you savvy savers and bargain hunters out there, there's a golden opportunity to stretch your pounds further. The Money Saving Club newsletter, a favourite among thousands who thrive on catching the best deals, is stepping up its game. Simply follow the link and select one or more of the following topics to get all the latest deals and advice on: Travel; Property; Pets, family and home; Personal finance; Shopping and discounts; Utilities. SIGN UP HERE The company said this was also "over and above the current statutory payments" which were £50 per 12 hours and £25 for each subsequent 12-hour period without service. The total payment to business customers would sit at £400. Alongside this, businesses will also be able to apply for compensation for additional loss of service, and it will share details on this process as soon as it is able. SWW reiterated its commitment to fair compensation, describing the payments as a "gesture of goodwill" to make amends for the disruption. Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View Fred Thomas, however, shared that South West Water told him the total compensation figure for household customers would reach up to £250, with businesses set for a £400 payout, according to a BBC report. During the outage, the Labour MP pressed SWW for action, calling the situation "unacceptable."
