Thames Water was handed a record £20 million fine on Wednesday after for breaching environmental regulations and pumping sewage into the River Thames in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire to the west of the capital.
The fine imposed on Wednesday was for numerous offences in 2013 and 2014 at sewage treatment works where hundreds of fish were killed and sewage spilt into nature reserves.
“Where negligence causes serious pollution or a serious threat to the environment, we will seek the strongest possible penalties,” James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said in a statement.
“This case sends a clear signal to the industry that safeguarding the environment is not an optional extra, it is an essential part of how all companies must now operate.”
Sustainability director at Thames Water, Richard Aylard, apologised for the 1.4 billion litres of raw sewage that was pumped into the river Thames between 2012-2014.
“We have failed in our responsibility to the environment,” Aylard told reporters. “Lessons have been learned, and the evidence is there, and the evidence will continue to be there, of our improved performance.”
He told reporters that the company was working to improve rivers, “not just get them back to where they should be”.
This is not the first time that large water companies have come under fire. They have frequently been criticised for making large profits whilst paying very little or no corporation tax. The National Audit Office found that in 2015, an £800m windfall for water companies had not been passed on to consumers.
Delivering the penalty at Aylesbury Crown Court on Wednesday, the Judge said: “This is a shocking and disgraceful state of affairs.”
“It should not be cheaper to offend than to take appropriate precautions.” he added.
Thames Water has 21 days to pay the record-breaking fine. Steve Robertson, chief executive of Thames Water, said that they “deeply regretted” the incidents.