Chichester MP says former Southern Water boss should ‘pay a steep price’ if charges are proven
Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller has criticised Southern Water, after its ex-chief executive faced charges over alleged wastewater testing fraud.
Although the charges relate to the previous Southern Water administration, Ms Fuller-Brown said: 'The new leadership have a long way to go before public confidence is restored.”
She said the news would ‘not come as a shock’ for many people in Chichester, who are ‘used to being let down’.
The MP also called for changes to the way water companies are owned.
Ms Brown-Fuller said: “The current model of water ownership is continuing to fail customers. That is why water companies need to be turned into public benefit companies now.”
Four former Southern Water employees, including former chief executive Matthew Wright, face charges of conspiracy to defraud following an Environment Agency investigation.
It is alleged that between 2012 and 2017, the individuals conspired to manipulate the Operator Self-Monitoring compliance testing regime at wastewater treatment works operated by Southern Water.
Southern Water is separately facing charges of breaching environmental permits linked to the same alleged conduct.
The company said on Wednesday (July 22) that it was ‘aware of today’s judgement permitting prosecution’ by the Environment Agency of former employees.
Its statement read: “The individuals named are no longer with the company. The charges relate to a historic set of failures between 2012 and 2017. These were uncovered through an internal company investigation in 2017. As soon as they were identified, Southern Water reported them to regulators, including the Environment Agency.
“As previously announced, the company is separately facing charges of breaching environmental permits. This follows an earlier Ofwat investigation into the same issue, which resulted in a customer rebate and penalties being imposed in 2019. We apologised in full at that time and repeat that apology again today.
“Southern Water is a completely different company now than it was a decade ago. Under new leadership and backed by new shareholders, we’ve radically addressed our culture, governance and operations. We’re serious about further change and improvement, and are investing in our largest ever programme to protect the environment.”
Asked to respond to Mrs Brown-Fuller’s comments, the water company said it ‘can’t comment further at this stage’, as ‘this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings’.