£1.6m fine for Anglian Water's pollution of Essex river

Anglian Water was fined £1.6 million by Cambridge magistrates’ court on 14 October after repeated sewage pollution of the River Brain in Essex over six weeks in 2022. District judge Timothy King ruled that local mismanagement, ignored alarms, and poor internal communication led to untreated sewage discharges. The pollution spanned nearly 14km between Braintree and Witham, with Environment Agency monitors recording the highest ammonia levels in a decade.

The Environment Agency traced the pollution to Anglian Water’s Braintree water recycling centre, where a faulty valve released semi-solid sludge and high ammonia levels into the river. Investigators found further discharges in late May, tracking the toxic substance along the river. Staff failed to act despite alarms warning of poorly treated sewage being released.

The prosecution was brought under Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, with Anglian Water charged with unlawful discharges and permit breaches between 13 April and 2 June 2022. The company was also ordered to pay £27,334 in costs and a £190 surcharge. This follows Anglian Water’s admission of polluting the Thames Estuary off Southend in 2021 and 2022.

The Environment Agency has increased scrutiny of water companies, completing nearly 1,800 inspections of Anglian Water’s sites in the past year. The agency secured over 70 prosecutions since 2015, resulting in £169 million in fines. Anglian Water was classified as a two-star performer in the last environmental assessment, prompting calls for stricter regulation and accountability.