By Abdullahi Lukman
A group legal action against South West Water over alleged sewage pollution has been expanded beyond Exmouth to include communities across Devon and Cornwall, potentially allowing thousands more residents and businesses to join the claim.
Law firm Leigh Day said the case, launched in 2024, will now cover Dawlish, Sidmouth and Teignmouth in Devon, as well as Newquay and Penzance in Cornwall.
More than 1,400 people from Exmouth, Lympstone and Budleigh Salterton have already signed up, arguing that repeated sewage discharges have harmed livelihoods, tourism and daily life along the coast.
The claim alleges that operational failings by South West Water are widespread and entrenched across the region’s coastal towns, rather than isolated to Exmouth.
It challenges the company’s use of storm overflows to release untreated sewage into the sea, which has led to bathing water alerts and beach closures.
According to official figures, the utility discharged 544,429 hours of raw sewage into seas and coastal waters in 2024.
One overflow at Salcombe Regis reportedly released sewage for almost the entire year, marking the longest recorded discharge duration among storm overflow sites in England and Wales.
In July 2024, regulator Ofwat imposed a £24 million enforcement penalty on South West Water, citing systemic failures in maintaining and operating wastewater treatment facilities and sewer networks dating back to at least 2017.
Ofwat said more than half of the company’s treatment plants were spilling into the environment on a regular basis, despite rules allowing such discharges only in exceptional circumstances, such as extreme rainfall.
Residents joining the action say pollution has visibly worsened in recent years.
Tina Naldrett, a nurse from Dawlish, said sewage and sanitary waste are increasingly seen in coastal waters, describing the situation as damaging to both the environment and local communities.
Oliver Holland, the solicitor leading the claim, said widening the case ensures that anyone affected by sewage pollution in the newly included areas has the opportunity to seek legal redress.
In a statement, South West Water said it was aware of the claim but could not comment further.
A spokesperson added that the company cares deeply about bathing water quality and recognizes its importance to residents, businesses and visitors.
