Havant Council declares no confidence in Southern Water

(by Karma Loveday)

Havant Borough Council has unanimously declared no confidence in Southern Water.

A motion to that effect was passed on 7 October, citing “repeated discharges of sewage into Langstone Harbour, Chichester Harbour and off Hayling Island” at the cost of the marine environment, local tourism and public health. It also cited “the controversial water recycling plans for Havant Thicket Reservoir, where widespread public concern remains regarding consultation, environmental impact, and water safety”.

The notice of the motion stated: “Residents across Havant Borough deserve an accountable utility provider that invests adequately in network infrastructure, prioritises environmental restoration, and operates with genuine transparency. Expressing no confidence is a necessary line in the sand, a formal statement that this Council will no longer accept systemic underperformance at the expense of our community and natural coastline.” 

The motion also called on the council chief executive to:

• Write to Defra, Ofwat and the Environment Agency “demanding urgent regulatory action against Southern Water and to inspect local assets (including Budds Farm), and consider statutory measures to enforce rapid infrastructure upgrades”. 

• Request Defra and the Planning Inspectorate “pause or re-evaluate approvals for the Havant Thicket Water Recycling component until Southern Water can demonstrate an unbroken track record of regulatory compliance and environmental safety in the region”. 

• Demand that Southern Water fully fund independent, real-time water quality testing and public electronic warning signage across Havant's coastal bathing waters.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “We welcome scrutiny of our operations and the Environment Agency has the power to visit our sites as often as they like.

“While we recognise we have a great deal to prove, change is happening. We're focused on improving our environmental performance and upgrading our infrastructure and, in Havant, we're investing £58m at Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works which should reduce spills into Langstone Harbour by more than 30%.

“Our Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project is vital to secure drought-proof water supplies and reduce pressure on our precious chalk streams. Water recycling is a tried and tested process and is supported by our regulators, including the Drinking Water Inspectorate who explicitly describe it as safe.”