South West Water has been assigned a one-star environmental rating by the Environment Agency, the lowest possible grade, following a downgrade from two stars. The company, which serves approximately 1.8 million customers across Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and portions of Dorset and Somerset, was cited for performing significantly below pollution targets for the 15th consecutive year.
The Environmental Performance Assessment evaluates England’s nine water and sewerage companies based largely on pollution incidents affecting rivers, streams, and coastal waters. For 2025, South West Water was among four companies designated as poor performing, while four others received ratings indicating the need for improvement. Only Severn Trent Water achieved the highest four-star rating. The agency’s assessment came approximately one month after South West Water faced an nearly £8 million fine for pollution-related violations spanning six years.
Additional regulatory findings indicate that South West Water met seven of 23 targets during 2025-26. The company’s performance in water supply interruptions deteriorated substantially, and total pollution incidents remained more than double its target levels. Customer satisfaction rankings were notably low at 15 out of 17 companies in the sector. Storm overflow performance improved by 19 percent but still fell short of goals. The company was distinguished as the only operator to consistently meet targets for internal sewer flooding since 2020-21.
Notable pollution incidents in the past year included a fish kill in St Austell River and contamination at Exmouth that forced beachgoers from the water. South West Water stated it is under new management with renewed focus on performance improvement and highlighted reductions in storm overflow spills of 17 percent and decreased spill duration of 25 percent. The company noted it has hired over 40 additional leakage specialists and is undertaking multibillion-pound infrastructure investments.
A separate report from multiple regulatory bodies confirmed that South West Water’s drinking water quality remains exceptional and safe for consumption, though overall environmental performance was characterized as poor. Advocacy group Surfers Against Sewage criticized the ratings system as ineffective, questioning their value as enforcement mechanisms for addressing deteriorating water company performance.
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