Southern Water: Protesters ramp up pressure as Chichester council says it also doesn't trust firm's figures

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‘Enough is enough’ - tenacious protesters across Hampshire and Sussex have slammed ‘serial sewage offender’ Southern Water as they gear up for a fight this week.

Two demonstrations have been organised this week in a show of force against the ecological decline of coastal waters stretching from the Solent to Chichester Harbour.

Alan Burgess, of Portsmouth and District Unite Community, has arranged a protest outside Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works on November 24.

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The protest will take place from noon outside the treatment works which is run by Southern Water.

Some of the hundreds who came to Southsea Beach to protest against Southern Water last year. Picture: Mike Cooter (161021)Some of the hundreds who came to Southsea Beach to protest against Southern Water last year. Picture: Mike Cooter (161021)
Some of the hundreds who came to Southsea Beach to protest against Southern Water last year. Picture: Mike Cooter (161021)

Mr Burgess said: 'Water is a basic human right. It should not be the source of profits for international corporate greed. This is the consistent refrain from all the protest groups. We demand no sewage dumping in the sea.

Southern Water is a serial sewage offender. As a corporate entity, it is oblivious to the concerns of everyday people. People who consider it a natural right to swim, paddle board or kite surf without enduring a serious illness like gastroenteritis.

‘Southern Water claims to be investing in increasing sewage storage capacity at Budds Farm but the much-wanted 50 per cent increase in sewage storage cannot keep pace with the increasing frequency and intensity of rainfall due to climate change.

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‘Any dumping is an act of abhorrent environmental vandalism which should be fined excessively twice the rate of profit.’

Budds Farm, Southern Water's waste water and sewage treatment site in Southmoor Lane, HavantBudds Farm, Southern Water's waste water and sewage treatment site in Southmoor Lane, Havant
Budds Farm, Southern Water's waste water and sewage treatment site in Southmoor Lane, Havant

A Chichester-based campaign called the Mayday Action Group (MAG) has co-ordinated a protest across Sussex and Hampshire on November 26.

The group has raised fears over the ecological decline of Chichester Harbour and surrounding waters.

Participants can demonstrate along the A259 from Emsworth to the Fishbourne roundabout or on a roadside space from Hayling Beachfront to Langstone or along the A286 from Apuldram to West Wittering.

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Elaine Brown, MAG communications officer said: ‘This is to bring everybody together and say enough is enough. We all know that we have different perspectives but if we bring things together then it’s a much stronger voice that can bring that change we want to see.

Southern Water's Budds Farm outfall photographed pouring out untreated sewage at 3.42pm on October 21 2021. Picture: Chris Pearsall Commercial PhotographySouthern Water's Budds Farm outfall photographed pouring out untreated sewage at 3.42pm on October 21 2021. Picture: Chris Pearsall Commercial Photography
Southern Water's Budds Farm outfall photographed pouring out untreated sewage at 3.42pm on October 21 2021. Picture: Chris Pearsall Commercial Photography

‘There’s a huge volume of people who really care about our area and the environmental and ecological impacts of the decisions being made.

‘We’ve been in touch with multiple organisations - we’ve asked them questions with this momentum and feeling on obvious display.

‘It’s about making sure that the feeling and the level of concern that's joined up across this area into Havant - those issues are the same and those challenges are the same.

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‘The rain in the last week or so there are localised areas of flooding, the dirty water and raw sewage being pumped into the harbour, it happens because it's allowed to, it’s not illegal. It happens because the infrastructure isn’t in place.’

Both councils are developing plans for future housing developments which require data on wastewater treatment capacity and sewage infrastructure.

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Councillor Alex Rennie, leader of Havant Borough Council said: ‘The history and story of Southern Water over the last four, five, six years is one of failure, is one of criminal activity and they have been held responsible by various independent regulators and they’ve been fined.

‘We’re taking strong action on this because our residents expect us to take strong action on this.’

A spokesperson for Chichester District Council added: ‘We have been approached by Havant Borough Council to participate in a study that will review Southern Water data.

‘We believe that there are benefits to working jointly to ensure a consistent approach to understanding the available capacity at wastewater treatment works that serve development in both areas.

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'We are continuing to work with Southern Water to improve wastewater capacity and to ensure that new development is factored into their future plans.

‘Wastewater disposal has long been a problem in the south of the district and we have been lobbying Southern Water to explain to us what improvements are required for some time.

‘Following an official complaint to the Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat, we have been holding constructive meetings with Southern Water and the Environment Agency, and Southern Water has agreed to work with us jointly on identifying improvements that need to be made.’

Southern Water was fined £90m for dumping sewage last year for a ‘shocking and wholesale disregard for the environment’ at 17 of its treatment sites over a six-year period from 2010.

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The company also received a £126m fine in 2019 following failures in the operation of sewage treatment sites and for deliberately misreporting its performance.

A recent meeting between MP for Havant Alan Mak and the new Southern Water CEO Lawrence Godsen raised calls to reduce the number of discharges.

Mr Mak said: ‘I’ve been campaigning to reduce Southern Water’s discharges for several years and I created the Forum to keep up the pressure on them.

‘I welcome new chief executive Lawrence Godsen to his post and I have called on him to ensure Southern Water meet their legal obligations and develops a plan to reduce discharges.’

A Southern Water spokesperson said the company understands the ‘concerns about storm overflow releases’ and has ‘ambitious targets’ to reduce them by 2030.

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It read: ‘We recognise how important it is to protect our environment and we are committed to working with our communities in Chichester and Havant to do this and we welcome these councils reviewing our data.

We are already playing a key role working with partners to protect harbours which is why formed the Harbour Summit Group. As part of this, we are funding research to look at water quality along with a project management role with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) designed to help develop projects for funding to improve the natural habitat in Chichester and Langstone harbours.

‘As part of this our Clean River and Seas Taskforce is focused on finding different solutions through its pathfinder projects to reduce or slow the flow of surface water that enters the sewer during a storm.’