A WATER company has been told to improve its environmental performance as there are still too many serious pollution incidents.

The latest annual report from the Environment Agency has found that Southern Water was one of the worst water and sewerage companies for environmental performance.

Southern Water has been told that its performance in looking after the environment has been “consistently unacceptable”.

The latest annual report from the government agency has found that none of the nine English water and sewerage companies had achieved all the environmental expectations set out for them for 2015 to 2020.

The sector coped well with the pandemic and water companies have committed more than £850 million of new investment to contribute to a green recovery, it said.

But the Environment Agency warned that England’s rivers are too polluted and said water companies still need to make and sustain substantial improvements in their environmental performance.

The report comes after Southern Water was fined a record £90 million for 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges, with tonnes of sewage polluting rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex between 2010 and 2015.

Environment Agency chairwoman Emma Howard Boyd said: “Over half the water sector is now achieving the highest industry rating, showing that clear targets and regulatory focus combined with investment in the environment delivers change in the water sector.

“But, some companies are still failing in their duty to the environment and there remains a tendency to reach for excuses rather than grasp the nettle.”

She said the fine shows that environmental laws must not be undermined.

“I have been meeting water company chairs in the last few weeks to set out our expectations for them to redouble their efforts to improve or maintain their environmental performance, something which continues to be a priority for both customers and shareholders.”

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said the report made for extremely disappointing reading.

“Getting the basics right is critical for water companies and then they need to go further in playing their part in achieving a higher level of ambition for our precious water environment.

“On these grounds I will not hesitate to set higher expectations for both water companies and regulators to ensure a level of service that the people of this country and the environment deserve.”

Dr Alison Hoyle, Southern Water’s director of risk and compliance, said the company welcomes the recognition in the report that it has improved its rating from one to two stars.

“This acknowledged progress is evidence of the impact of the continuing cultural and operational transformation of Southern Water which has been led by chief executive Ian McAulay since he joined the company in 2017.”

And she added: “With a £1 billion programme of investment in the environment over the coming four years, we are confident that the trend of improvement will continue. Southern Water puts the environment and our customers at the heart of everything we do.”