Raw sewage pumped into sea off Worthing (From The Argus)

What we need is bigger bonuses for the senior management.
It's also worthwhile considering sacking more maintenance staff and leaving things to run themselves over the weekend, for example.

Small fines incurred for occasionally dumping all the poo in the sea can just be passed onto the customer via increased bills. A business model that can't fail.
Brilliant!

Enema of the peephole wrote:
What we need is bigger bonuses for the senior management.
It's also worthwhile considering sacking more maintenance staff and leaving things to run themselves over the weekend, for example.

Small fines incurred for occasionally dumping all the poo in the sea can just be passed onto the customer via increased bills. A business model that can't fail.
Brilliant!

Don't forget about rewarding those hard-working shareholders with fat dividends.

lack of maintenance by sounds of it. southern water are a joke I had loads of trouble with them billing me wrong. would change if i could but stuck with them. I think the manager should say why this has happened if down to maintenance cut backs and would like to see them cleaning up the beach from worthing to shoreham.

Having read the report I noticed that Southern Water had dumped tons of TOXIC (raw sewerage is toxic) waste into the sea. Now even at three miles out that really does represent a serious health hazard. Who is going to end up paying for the inevitable cleaning up?

If I am also right in thinking a number of Fishermen catch their fish along the coast & that could certainly mean a loss of earnings for them. Who is going to recompensate them?

If Southern Water was in anyway responsible it would have noticed earlier that the pumps were most likely not functioning properly. Pumps, especially industrial ones are very powerful & if properly monitered then it should have been noticed. Obviously this did not happen. Why?

I really hope that the Council & even the Police investigate this serious matter with more care & attention than Southern Water has shown.

Here in Germany the local/State prosecuters would have started Legal proceedings, if for no other reason as to avoid the matter being swept under the carpet. I hope that the The Environment Agency & Surfers Against Sewage keep up the pressure on Southern Water.

What does interest me is why Southern Water did not have back up pumps?

Seems to me that Southern Water is a Cowboy outfit, most certainly not responsible.They only feel responsible to their share- holders & that should not be allowed, being a utility firm!!

My opinion is that there should be a Public Inquiry as there are a number of important questions that need to be answered.

They are terrible. Remember when i got a bill for £700.62 . There was a problem with my water tank, leaking!! Went on for months i had no idea. They said they had noticed, i was using more then normal, as my bill was normaly about £90. But they did not bother to contact me about my usage!! And they said I should see if the water tank was leaking, befor i got the bill, and it was down to me!! Yes I had to pay that huge bill, they are robbing swines. This is a terrible story, and when all the sewage, comes on the beach, will they clean it. NO!!! But the tax payers will pay for it.

Mel@cityclean wrote:
They are terrible. Remember when i got a bill for £700.62 . There was a problem with my water tank, leaking!! Went on for months i had no idea. They said they had noticed, i was using more then normal, as my bill was normaly about £90. But they did not bother to contact me about my usage!! And they said I should see if the water tank was leaking, befor i got the bill, and it was down to me!! Yes I had to pay that huge bill, they are robbing swines. This is a terrible story, and when all the sewage, comes on the beach, will they clean it. NO!!! But the tax payers will pay for it.

Surely there are Bylaws that can be used to make Southern Water pay for all the damage?

If not then the Councils should/could have certain powers to make them pay. They make a good profit (that is the only reason that they are in the business) so they can well afford it.

When I read your comments & that of angrymonkey & the experience that my Goddaughter has had with Southern Water, it seems that they have a very high & mighty attitude.

I am very surprised that they do not have an Emergency Basin for just such accidents. I am sure that the EU has Laws & directives that could be used against Southern Water. If I was back living in Brighton I would have contacted the Councils concerned. But politics............
..

Maybe it is time that some of you got a pressure group up & running. Is there not a Consumer Group that one could contact? Just a thought.

Thames Water has paid out more in fines for causing pollution than any other UK company, an Environment Agency report said today.

The water sector is responsible for more than a quarter of all serious industrial pollution incidents, making it the most polluting sector of UK business by a considerable margin

And Thames Water tops a league table of polluters, having paid out £128,000 in court fines for four water pollution offences.

It was not the only water firm to make the league table - Severn Trent and Southern Water both found themselves in the top 5 after paying out more than £50,000 in fines each.

F in L wrote:
Thames Water has paid out more in fines for causing pollution than any other UK company, an Environment Agency report said today.

The water sector is responsible for more than a quarter of all serious industrial pollution incidents, making it the most polluting sector of UK business by a considerable margin

And Thames Water tops a league table of polluters, having paid out £128,000 in court fines for four water pollution offences.

It was not the only water firm to make the league table - Severn Trent and Southern Water both found themselves in the top 5 after paying out more than £50,000 in fines each.

Interesting news indeed.

Only in my opinion the fines are way to low to have any effect at all. They get paid out of the petty cash & then set against any Taxes that they may pay.

Experience in Europe has shown that when the fines are really high that it does have the desired effect. The penalties that they have to pay should start at 500,000 Pounds & with the added incentive of a possible Jail sentence as well.

Such slack handedness & disinterest from these Water Firms etc, are damaging our Childrens & Grandchildrens Ecological future. That is more than Criminal I would suggest.

I think Southern water need to sort it out. They are firstly an awful company to work for! I was in the water today and saw thousands of star fish.. I predict that the sewage will affect the marine life in some way. Many people don't realise that we actually have a lot of marine life on the south coast. I personally think that the big bosses at southern water don't care too much as I constantly hear about their mess ups! Something should be done to stop them messing with our environment and I don't think a small .fine is really going to bother them. They need to figure out why things keep happening.

Among other places this sewage treatment works serves Worthing Hospital where there are patients suffering from serious and highly infectious diseases.

Immediately the leak was reported the Environment Agency should have sent its own staff out to close the beaches. Along with the water company and district councils the EA should have ensured large, highly visible signs were placed all along the stretches of affected coastline.

Instead the beaches were not closed and children and their parents were allowed to bathe freely during a spell of hot and sunny weather.

The EA says it is “investigating”. What good will that do for the people who become seriously ill as a result of this leak? I hope the new environment minister undertakes a sweeping clear out from top to bottom of the management of this useless quango.

Johntomgreen wrote:
Among other places this sewage treatment works serves Worthing Hospital where there are patients suffering from serious and highly infectious diseases.

Immediately the leak was reported the Environment Agency should have sent its own staff out to close the beaches. Along with the water company and district councils the EA should have ensured large, highly visible signs were placed all along the stretches of affected coastline.

Instead the beaches were not closed and children and their parents were allowed to bathe freely during a spell of hot and sunny weather.

The EA says it is “investigating”. What good will that do for the people who become seriously ill as a result of this leak? I hope the new environment minister undertakes a sweeping clear out from top to bottom of the management of this useless quango.

I agree with you entirely.

I really do think that the only way one could wake these incompetent so & so´s up is to form a "PRESSURE GROUP"!!

Organize a protest on the beaches & before the company head office.

Otherwise unfortunately as in many cases this problem will be left quitely to die..........until the time comes when something else happens.

As in the past one can not rely upon the politicians to get something done, they often sit on the boards of these firms.

So people power is the only way. Are there no groups in & around Worthing/Brighton that would help? One thing is for sure, this matter is to serious to slip out of the public eye.

I understand Southern Water having been caught short myself upon occasion - when you have got to go, you have got to go.

eleutheria wrote:
I understand Southern Water having been caught short myself upon occasion - when you have got to go, you have got to go.

Then I suggest you go out & buy some large nappies. I would also suggest that you GO somewhere else to make such stupid remarks.

In case it has escaped you, this is a matter that is far to serious to have half wits like yourself trying to be funny!!