15^th June 2026

For context, please find below a data regarding South West Water’s “performance” in our parish of St Just in Penwith. The below is extracted from South West Water’s data courtesy of Top of the Poops.org who analyses sewage monitoring data.

The table below means that Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and Sewage Pumping Stations (SPS) in St Just have spilled for 4,709 hrs in 2026 (equivalent of 196 days) and 2,196 hrs in 2025 (91 days).

The additional worrying information was that BOTALLACK_TREGESEAL CSO was flagged as not reporting data since 431 hrs, which means the 2026 figure might be an optimistic take on the actual “performance” of SWW in the parish.

Source: https://top-of-the-poops.org/overflow/SBB00140 and Dowr Glan

Councillor Fynn Tucker: No Confidence in South West Water. 

Simply by living in this region, we are, by default, reliant on South West Water for water and sewage services. 

Even those of us who have our own borehole water supply, will generally have a septic tank. When that septic tank is emptied, it will usually end up going to a South West Water waste facility. 

So, there is very little means to opt out of becoming, in one way or another, a South West Water ‘customer’ and thereby contributing to their profits. 

What’s wrong with that you might say?? 

Well, firstly, I’d argue that water as a human requirement, it is too vital and important to be supplied on a ‘for profit’ basis. 

Moreso, I’d argue that South West Water hold a monopoly position. 

Even the most market driven in society would concede that a monopoly will never deliver the best service or value for the consumer. 

My concern for this particular item though, is not in the supply of water, but the treatment of waste. 

South West Water have a demonstrably sickening record of failure in their duty to safely treat the sewage in their network. 

Live sewage alerts and data on overflows and discharges are publicly available, and organizations like Surfer’s Against Sewage do great work in collating and presenting this information through their Safer Seas and Rivers Service, which regular water users like myself can reference and make an informed choice as to whether entering the water at a particular location is likely to expose us or our families to untreated sewage released in to the sea by South West Water. 

My mother in law refers to the Surfer’s Against Sewage app before ordering at a restaurant to decide whether to order shellfish like mussels – she finds out where they were sourced, and looks at the data on the app to check recent and current sewage discharges in the area. 

It is great to have that data, but should it even have to be a consideration? Should we have to worry about entering the water? Should we have to be concerned about eating from polluted seas? 

Obviously, the answer is no. 

So, how did we get here? 

Profit. 

South West Water is a private company beholden to shareholders. Like any publicly traded company, its duty is to grow, and to deliver shareholders returns on their investment. South West Water’s commitment is to its masters, not to us. 

And that is the problem. This has led to poorly maintained infrastructure – profits going to shareholders and executives rather than being fed back in to the failing, overburdened network. 

I could go on, but I am sure you are all aware of the issues and have your own opinions. 

I hope all of you have watched Dirty Business on Channel 4 and been shocked and angered by the callous indifference of the private water industry and the complicity of the regulator, in failing to hold South West Water to account. Not to mention the merry go round of executives from the Environment Agency to the Boards of Private Utility companies and back again. 

The situation is depressing and the task of improving things is daunting. 

But what can we do though, we are just a small Town Council??? 

What we CAN do today, is add our voice to those others who have had enough of our resources being squandered and polluted for profit. 

This particular effort may well fall short in its complete aims, but by taking part in this campaign, we are at least making it clear we are not happy with the status quo, and are willing to put our heads above the parapet and join the conversation. 

We’ve all chosen to become councillors, but as I mentioned earlier, we have not chosen South West Water. We have not chosen to pollute our seas and rivers, and yet we pay South West Water to do just that. 

Campaigners have fought for years to force South West Water and the Water industry in general to end its policy of pollution, and the Water Industry has acted with impunity. On the odd occasion that the regulator has acted, they have faced laughable fines. 

This campaign looks beyond fines and consultations, and demands real action, to take the South West Water out of private hands and ultimately run it as a not for profit public service, to prioritise fixing the infrastructure rather than handing more subsidies and water bill money to the Pennon Group, South West Water’s parent company. 

We all have an interest in this, it is too important to carry on as is. 

Something needs to be done, for us, our families and the marine life that is as much a victim of pollution as the surfer or the swimmer.

I propose that St Just Town Council formally declare “No Confidence” in South West Water and petition the Government for the sewage and water system to be transferred to a public-owned organisation and managed as a public service.  

Something needs to be done, and I think this is a good place to start. 

Thank You

Motion:

 “This Council notes with grave concern the systemic failure of South West Water to manage the sewage system in Cornwall. Despite record bills and government intervention, raw sewage continues to impact our environment and public health.

Therefore, this Council resolves:

2. To formally declare a Vote of No Confidence in South West Water.

3. To sign the collective letter to the Secretary of State demanding the removal of South West Water’s management through a Special Administration Order.

Formal Letter of No Confidence

TO: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

CC: The Chief Executive of Ofwat; The Leader of Cornwall Council; Cornwall’s Members of Parliament.

DATE: [Insert Date]

SUBJECT: Formal Vote of No Confidence in South West Water (SWW) and Petition for Special Administration.

To the Secretary of State,

We, the undersigned Town and Parish Councils of Cornwall, representing the residents, businesses, and ecosystems of the Duchy, hereby formally issue this Vote of No Confidence in the management of South West Water (SWW).

We are no longer requesting “improvements” or “consultations.” South West Water has failed for more than a decade to show its capability and willingness to manage our water and sewage system. We are formally petitioning the Government and Ofwat to remove SWW from the management of the Cornish sewage and water systems, and transfer the ownership and management of our sewage and water system to a publicly-owned organisation, run as a public service.

Our decision is based on a systemic and catastrophic failure in the following three areas:

      1. Failure of Infrastructure and Public Health

Despite Cornwall’s residents paying the highest water bills in the UK, our coastline and rivers have become conduits for raw sewage. In 2025 and early 2026, we have witnessed unprecedented spill durations that have closed our beaches, impacted our tourism economy, and posed a direct threat to public health. The current management has proven incapable of maintaining a sewage system fit for the 21^st century.

2. Financial Mismanagement and Breach of Public Trust

While our constituents face further bill increases this April, SWW continues to prioritise shareholder dividends and executive bonuses over essential capital investment. The “investment plans” touted by the company have repeatedly failed to yield results on the ground, leading to a total breakdown of trust between the utility provider and the Cornish people.

3. Inadequacy of Governance

It is the view of these Councils that SWW’s leadership has lost the confidence of the Cornish communities and its “social license” to operate. The repeated fines and enforcement cases from Ofwat have acted as a “cost of doing business” rather than a deterrent. We believe the company is now structurally incapable of delivering the environmental protections required by law.

Our Formal Demand:

We call upon the Government to intervene and make this situation stop at once, using powers such as those granted by the Water (Special Measures) Act to remove the offending company from operating in Cornwall. We demand that South West Water be placed into Special Administration, stripping the current management of their mandate. We call upon the Government to transition Cornish sewage and water assets into a publicly-owned organisation, run as a public service, answerable to elected representatives of Cornish voters, that will prioritise the Cornish environment and its people over private profit.

Cornish rivers and seas are the lifeblood of our economy and our identity. We will no longer stand by while they are managed into decline.

We await your urgent response regarding the steps you will take to revoke SWW’s licence in the Duchy.

Yours faithfully,

St Just Town Council

On behalf of the Collective Councils of Cornwall