In 2025, water industry regulator Ofwat reported:

“We have identified that just over half of South West Water's wastewater treatment works (WWTW) have storm overflows associated with them that spill regularly to the environment... 

"South West Water has failed to demonstrate that these spills resulted from exceptional circumstances and, in most cases, has failed to properly consider whether cost beneficial solutions existed to address these problems. 

“These high spill levels result from SWW not having properly operated and maintained its WWTW, which is reflected in the number of WWTW that appear not to have complied with their environmental permit requirements...

"We consider the problems identified to be systemic and that they have been occurring since at least 2017.”

In March 2026, South West Water admitted 18 pollution offences across Devon and Cornwall after years of illegal spills which affected rivers, beaches and protected wildlife habitats.

Investigators found 336 illegal spills in the seven years to March 2020 at the firm's Bodmin sewage works. Sewage reached the River Camel, a protected conservation area known for Atlantic salmon, otters and bullhead fish.

Untreated sewage was released 231 times between 2016 and 2021 at Harlyn beach in Cornwall, which is popular with families and tourists.

South West Water pleaded guilty to six illegal spills at nearby Holywell sewage pumping station.

Also in March, SWW's parent company, Pennon Group, pleaded guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption, after a prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate following the 2024 cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham. This incident left more than 140 people ill and four hospitalised. It caused widespread disruption, forcing schools to close and hitting businesses with bookings cancelled during a key tourism period.

Pennon Group, which owns SWW, reported profit before tax of £65.9 million for the first half of 2025/26, with revenues rising 25% to £658.1 million. For the full year, Pennon expects its earnings to rise by around 60%.

SWW's water and sewerage charges for customers rose by around 30% in 2025,  bringing the average annual household bill to £686, up from £520

Meanwhile, Pennon’s net debt grew to £4.3 billion from £4.1 billion.

Despite its own huge debts, SWW makes extensive use of bailiffs to collect debts owed by customers who can’t afford to pay their ever-increasing water bills. 

In March 2026, a report by Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee found that it was among the water companies that make most use of bailiffs to collect debts, many of these for sums under £1,000.

In 2025 the total pay package of South West Water's CEO, including share awards, rose to £803,000.

For more on Pennon's greed: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/13/who-are-the-key-figures-in-the-sewage-crisis-and-where-are-they-now