This week, 4 local and parish councils passed a motion of no-confidence in South West Water (SWW). Local authorities in Helston, Crowan, Penryn, and St Ive and Pensilva passed motions of no-confidence in the utility firm, citing “record bills” and “raw sewage”.

'This isn't just a protest; it’s an eviction notice.' But the company says it is investing £760 million and has already started reducing sewage spills significantly.

“These bunch of gangsters are exploiting us all,” one councillor said as Helston Town Council voted to join a county wide push demanding government action against South West Water.

A new campaign calling for the removal of South West Water from Cornwall’s water and sewage management is being launched today by a coalition of local councillors and activists.

Six of Cornwall’s towns have now declared no confidence in the privatised utility, joining a grassroots campaign demanding the firm be stripped of its licence and brought back into public ownership.

Clean Sea Newquay said: "Newquay is the 25th town to do so as a part of the Dowr Glan campaign which is uniting town and parish councils across Cornwall to use their collective voice to call for real change in the way our water is managed."

Cllr Evans told the meeting that Cornwall was being “confronted by sewage pollution”, pointing to rising bills and the impact on public health, tourism and the environment. “These figures underline how private water companies have been allowed to profit at the public’s expense,” he said, adding that infrastructure had been left to “crumble into disrepair”.

At its meeting on 11 June 2026, Forrabury and Minster Parish Council voted to support the Dowr Glan (“Clean Water”) campaign and sign its

collective Letter of No Confidence in South West Water.

In April, a campaign, called Dowr Glan/Sick of South West Water (SWW), called on the water company to be removed from Cornwall's water and sewage management and renationalised.

Former Cornwall Council leader Julian German said "Reaching 40 councils, with St Ives signature and the massive backing of major hubs like Newquay, Penzance, Falmouth, Redruth, Saint Austell, Camborne, and Hayle, proves that this is no longer a fringe complaint. It is a democratic mandate. SWW has systemic failures built into its business model, prioritizing shareholder dividends over public health. We are taking this message right to the doors of power in July. Our rivers and beaches are our lifeblood, and we are taking them back."

Ms Davy received a basic pay of £511,000 in 2024/25, £51,000 in pension payments, £215,000 in deferred shares payment and a £270,000 bonus as well as £50,000 in additional benefits, a car and fuel allowance and the funds for her private security. (...) Since launching in April, a campaign, called Dowr Glan/Sick of South West Water, has called on the water company to be removed from Cornwall's water and sewage management and renationalised. At latest count 40 Cornish councils have agreed the campaign's motion of no confidence in the firm. 

In 2025 the UK’s water companies dumped untreated effluent into our seas and watercourses for a total of 1.9 million hours, with South West Water (SWW) leading the list of shame at 407,006 hours. Seaside councils across the SWW region, including Newquay, Hayle, Falmouth and Bude, have joined Cornwall’s Dowr Glan — or Clean Water — campaign to petition the government to nationalise the region’s sewerage and water system. 

Entrusting our health to the Environment Agency’s (EA) bathing water quality ratings is no longer enough. Portreath in Cornwall, for example, is rated excellent by EA, but suffered 661 hours of sewage discharge in 2025. Seaton, also rated excellent, received 349 hours of effluent. We know this because water companies are now obliged to issue real-time alerts for discharges, and The Sunday Times has used this data to improve risk assessments and delete from the shortlist beaches with chronic sewage issues.