Court imposes record £1.8m fine on SWW for Brixham cryptosporidium outbreak

(by Verity Mitchell)

South West Water (SWW) was fined at Exeter Magistrates' Court on 2 June following a prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). The company pleaded guilty to an offence under section 70(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991, which requires water companies to supply water that is wholesome and fit for human consumption.

On 15 May 2024, SWW first confirmed that traces of cryptosporidium had been found in its water supply network. The court heard that there were 537 probable or confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis, with at least ten people admitted to hospital. The incident affected up to 16,000 homes and businesses and led to boil water notices being put in place for up to 54 days for some properties.

The DWI's investigation found cryptosporidium from animal faeces had entered the drinking water supply network on agricultural land, likely via an exposed and faulty air valve covered in mud.

District judge Stuart Smith fined SWW £1,853,000, with a surcharge of £2,000 and costs of £75,000 totalling £1,930,000. He told the court that it had been "a major public health incident" in which "disruption to daily life was extensive". The harm had been "wide-ranging and profound" and the system of monitoring air valves had been "inadequate".  He stated that the "unvarnished reality" was there had been no visual inspection scheme of air valves which showed a "systemic failure of governance" of SWW.

However, Smith said there had been mitigating factors and he had reduced the fine by a third as the company had entered an early guilty plea. In addition, Smith said the company had responded rapidly once the contamination had been discovered, had deployed "substantial personnel" and provided "substantial financial remediation" to those affected.

SWW has offered a “full and unreserved apology" and said it wanted to publicly record its "genuine remorse" for the incident. Keith Haslett, chief executive of Pennon Group which owns SWW, said: "It is very clear we must learn lessons from this incident and work hard to rebuild trust with the customers and communities we serve, both in Brixham and beyond.”

Speaking after the case, the DWI said the fine was a record for a drinking water offence. The previous largest fine of £1.42m was levied from Anglian Water in May 2025 for allowing unapproved plastic-based products to coat pipework submerged within water tanks, which then entered the water supply for 1.3m people.