Liz Jarvis MP calls on Southern Water CEO to resign after 1-star performance review

Commenting, Liz Jarvis MP said:

"Southern Water has received a 1 star (poor) rating from the Environment Agency and the buck stops with the CEO. My constituents in Eastleigh and people across Hampshire have had to put up with sewage in our rivers and seas, rocketing water bills and loss of supply over the last few years and enough is enough. It's time for the CEO of Southern Water to go.

“Yet again, Southern Water has been shown to be failing customers and the environment. Eastleigh residents won’t be surprised to see a poor rating for customer service, but the one-star rating from the Environment Agency is damning. Bosses losing out on bonuses as a result is a welcome penalty, but it’s small consolation to customers whose bills have been hiked year after year.

“It’s more urgent than ever for the Government to fix the water industry. Customers should not be paying for years of underinvestment while shareholders rake in profits.

“Families are paying ever higher bills, and in return Southern Water has been ranked the worst company in the country for customer satisfaction. Bosses should never have been in line for bonuses while this is going on. It is clear that Private water companies have put profit ahead of people for too long.”

In the Environment Agency’s annual Environmental Performance Assessment. Southern Water has been given just one star, the lowest rating possible. The rating means the company’s executives will not receive bonuses.

The joint report from the Environment Agency, Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Natural Resources Wales, describes Southern Water’s overall environmental performance as “poor” and ranks it last in the country for customer satisfaction.

Across the two reports, the findings for Southern Water include:

• A one-star environmental performance rating from the Environment Agency
• 301 pollution incidents, 12 of them classed as serious
• Only 96.7% of treatment works compliant with their discharge permit limits, with 11 sites failing
• Environmental improvement schemes only half delivered on time, rated red by the Environment Agency
• Internal sewer flooding up 40% on the previous year
• 17th out of 17 companies for customer satisfaction, a further drop of one place on last year