Severn Trent pays £4.6m in record pollution levies

Water company Severn Trent (STW) paid £4.6m to the Environment Agency to settle pollution cases in the past year, the highest total of any provider.

Offences included unauthorised sewage discharges into the River Blythe in Solihull, Broadway Brook in Evesham, Worcestershire, and Marehay treatment works in Ripley, Derbyshire.

In total, a record £8.5m was secured from water companies during the 2025-26 financial year, the government said.

"Our focus is always on preventing pollutions before they happen, but when things do go wrong, we act quickly, take ownership and put things right," said a STW spokesperson.

The charges, known as enforcement undertakings, are paid as part of legally binding agreements between the watchdog and water firms instead of prosecution.

The money will be reinvested into repairing harm to rivers and habitats, marking the highest annual total on record.

The money recovered from the Coventry-based company will be directed to local charities including the Trent Rivers Trust and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, "who have the expertise to deliver targeted improvements in the affected catchments through measures such as habitat restoration, barrier removal and water quality improvements".

"Water companies must be held to account when they break the law," said water minister Emma Hardy.

She added the money would deliver "immediate benefits without lengthy court cases."

The payments follow a "major increase" in enforcement activity, the government added, including 10,000 inspections of water company sites, more staff and increased powers.

Chief executive of The Rivers Trust, Mark Lloyd, said: "We would prefer that pollution events didn't happen in the first place and continue to push for the necessary action to ensure this - including ambitious reform of the water system."

"This funding supports organisations like The Rivers Trust to make a difference, while we continue to invest billions in our network to build resilience for the long term," added STW.

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