South West Water pleads guilty in court for cryptosporidium incident

(by Verity Mitchell)

South West Water has pleaded guilty to an offence under the Water Industry Act 1991 for supplying water unfit for human consumption.

The hearing at Exeter Magistrates Court was a result of the water contamination at Brixham from cryptosporidium. The Drinking Water Inspectorate brought the prosecution case following the incident in May 2024 when hundreds of South West Water’s customers became ill. The subsequent ‘boil water’ notice remained in place for eight weeks after the incident for some customers. A decision on a fine will be made in June. 

Pennon has already said that the incident has cost some £40m, including for initiating ‘reshaping and transformation programmes’.