Southern Water has been fined, prosecuted, and publicly shamed — and yet Kent’s rivers and coastline are more polluted than ever. The fines mean nothing when they’re paid from your bill.
“They dump sewage in our rivers, get fined millions, then pass the cost straight back to customers. That’s not accountability. That’s a racket.”
A Record of Disgrace
Southern Water has racked up at least £216 million in fines. In 2021 alone, they were hit with a £90 million penalty for 6,971 illegal sewage discharges at 17 sites between 2010 and 2015. An estimated 21 billion litres of raw sewage were dumped off the Kent coast.
2024: The Worst Year Yet
Despite all the promises, 2024 saw a record 2,801 pollution incidents logged against Southern Water. Swalecliffe Brook and beaches across Kent continue to be contaminated. Meanwhile, your water bill is rising — up 8% to £759 a year — to fund so-called “improvements” that never seem to arrive.
Kent Pays the Price
Children have been hospitalised after contact with polluted water in the Medway. Shellfish beds have been closed. Bathing water warnings are now routine across Kent’s coast. And yet Southern Water’s executives continue to collect bonuses while the company operates under a criminal investigation.
GBFP Demands Real Accountability
Fines paid from customer bills are not punishment — they’re a business expense. GB Freedom Party demands personal liability for water company executives who authorise illegal discharges, automatic compensation for affected communities, and a full independent audit of Southern Water’s operations in Kent. Our people deserve clean rivers — not corporate excuses.
See also: Kent Local News — Britain’s Water Crisis: As Infrastructure Crumbles, Can Public Health Be Protected — the national context behind Kent’s sewage scandal.
