Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is facing a huge fine for not properly monitoring effluent discharges from its sewage and water treatment works. A court heard today that the water company committed offences at 300 sites across Wales in 2020 and 2021.
Welsh Water could be dealt a financial penalty running into six figures for committing 15 specimen offences. The company was fined £180,000 in 2021 for breaching the conditions of its permit.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) brought the case against Welsh Water and at a sentencing hearing at Wrexham Magistrates Court today (Tuesday, December 17), the offences were outlined. However, District Judge Gwyn Jones said that after “an issue with the court service”, he had been served defence documents late in the day by court staff and was unable to consider them properly.
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The hearing was therefore adjourned until February next year. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
Earlier Dafydd Roberts, for NRW, said Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was responsible for drinking water and sewage treatment. He argued that it had failed to comply with permit conditions for self-monitoring at 300 sites across Wales over two years. Mr Roberts said that there had been over 800 offences, but the prosecution had chosen specimen charges.
He said an NRW officer had seen the quality of information provided by Dŵr Cymru deteriorate in 2020 with late or inadequate submissions. The officer said its sampling team had been restructured in 2019. Mr Roberts said the NRW officer concluded: “The new team did not understand the work enough to comply with the permit conditions on monitoring.”
Mr Roberts said NRW, which had limited data from Welsh Water due to the late and inadequate submissions, was not aware of any pollution but it was possible there was some due to the “cumulative” breaches. He added that this late reporting of discharges “undermined public confidence in the self-monitoring system”.
A meeting was held between Dŵr Cymru and NRW staff in 2021 and the situation improved, but Mr Roberts said that 127 breaches of the permit were still recorded. The court also heard that prosecution costs ran into tens of thousands of pounds. Mr Roberts said that 45 witnesses – including NRW officers and other employees – had given statements. He said he would be applying for costs of £70,237.32.
District Judge Gwyn Jones, hearing the case, said: “It’s not fair for any defendant for me to start sentencing at 16.14 when I have not had the papers.” However, he noted that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was fined £180,000 in 2021 for contraventions of permit conditions. Mr Jones continued: “This (case) is significantly more because of the number of offences and the number of offences to be taken into consideration.”
No further evidence was offered over three alleged failures to comply with permits in Rhosneigr on Anglesey, Llandrindod Wells in Powys and Gowerton near Swansea.