Thames Water Fined Over Drinking Water Quality

Thames Water Utilities Limited was today fined £160,000 for failing to adequately treat drinking water.

The company appeared in the dock at Stratford Magistrates' Court, where it was also ordered to pay costs of almost £79,000 and a victim surcharge of £120.

The fine is in respect of three offences arising from two incidents in February and July 2017 when there were failures in the disinfection of drinking water at Coppermills Water Treatment Works situated in Walthamstow, London.

In the first incident, errors occurring in poorly planned electrical maintenance at the works led to the loss of control of the disinfection system and inadequately disinfected water entered supply. In the second incident, disturbance in the flow of water across a sand filter raised turbidity (cloudiness) of the water and this affected the subsequent disinfection process.

Coppermills Water Treatment Works is the sole supply to 728,000 consumers but contributes to 2 million consumers’ water supplies across the London area. It is fortuitous that no consumers were harmed by either incident.

The charges were brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate under Regulation 26(1)(a), Regulation 26(1)(b), Regulation 26(4) and Regulation 33(1) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016.

Marcus Rink, Chief Inspector of Drinking Water, said: "Whilst these events did not result in impact or harm to any consumers, Coppermills Water Treatment Works suffered loss of control of key treatment processes on two occasions in 2017.

"Thames Water have experienced a number of similar incidents at other works which have led to repeated recommendations since 2014.

"Recommendations on training, procedures, maintenance must be acted upon to reduce current and future risks. It is undoubtedly in the public interest to bring this prosecution for a strategic works which contributes to the supply of over two million consumers in Greater London."

Thames Water was fined £2 million earlier this year after its "foreseeable and avoidable" pollution of two Oxfordshire streams with raw sewage.