Water chief quizzed by MPs about crypto outbreak

A parasite contamination of water in Brixham, Devon, last year was "devastating" for some households, the chief of South West Water's (SWW) parent company, Pennon, has admitted.

Susan Davy told a committee of MPs: "I absolutely understand how devastating that incident was for that community and for the customers who were poorly… it was a really horrible time for them."

Ms Davy said her annual salary had been increased by about £300,000, leading to a £860,000 pay package last year, which included an increase from share awards, but that she did not take her annual bonus.

The outbreak last May left some people in hospital and hundreds of others ill after contamination of the water supply by cryptosporidium, a parasite which causes sickness and diarrhoea.

Ms Davy said: "I am always sorry when something happens either to our customers or to the environment."

When asked why she did not speak publicly at the time of the outbreak, Ms Davy said she "was wanting to speak to my customers".

"I should have, in retrospect - perhaps it would have helped if I spoke to the media," she added.

MPs asked the chief executive whether it was appropriate in January to have announced £45m in dividend payments for 2024-5, a 265% increase from the £12m in 2022-3.

Ms Davy replied by saying that, although the dividend had been announced, it had not been paid as the company "faced significant energy costs and pressures".

Cornwall MP Jayne Kirkham, who represents Truro and Falmouth, told Ms Davy bathing water quality was "getting worse".

Ms Davy replied, saying "we have got to do better to eliminate pollution" but that "it is going to take time".

She said there were 194 individual pollution incidents across the group between 2023 and 2024.

She told the committee: "I absolutely regret and do not condone those incidents and pollutions that we had.

"We have hundreds of treatment works and thousands of pumping stations and, from time to time, things do go wrong."

Pennon was fined £2.2m in 2023 for illegal sewage spills spanning four years across Devon and Cornwall.

South West Water provides water and sewerage services to Devon and Cornwall, plus small parts of Dorset and Somerset.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].