South West Water Fined £1.853 Million for Devon Parasite Outbreak After 140 Cases
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 2
South West Water Fined £1.853 Million for Devon Parasite Outbreak After 140 Cases
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 2
£1.853 million was imposed on South West Water at Exeter Magistrates' Court after it admitted supplying unfit water during the 2024 cryptosporidium outbreak around Brixham, Devon.
54 days of contamination led to more than 140 confirmed cases of sickness and diarrhoea and four hospitalisations, in what the judge called a major public health incident.
Judge Stuart Smith said inadequate air-valve monitoring and the absence of a visual inspection scheme exposed a systemic failure of governance, with disruption to daily life described as extensive.
An early guilty plea cut the penalty by a third after the company had offered a full and unreserved apology, while the case adds to wider scrutiny of UK water firms' compliance record.