Plop! That’s the sickening sound of the South West Water annual water bill landing on doormats across South Hams – 45,000 doormats. Householders in South Hams are facing unprecedented hikes in water bills at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is biting hard. Bills have risen from £520 in 2024-25 to £686 in 2025-26, a rise of 32%. Which other business in South Hams would be able to force that extraordinary price increase on customers? Only a monopoly business, selling a product we cannot live without and with the backing of successive Governments would be able to do this.

South West Water treatment works lack sufficient ‘hydraulic capacity’ to cope with the volume of wastewater and sewage from households in South Hams – that’s a fact. Figures released by the Environment Agency last week show that in 2024 the number of spills by South West Water dropped slightly from 58,000 to 56,000 but the duration of storm overflow usage increased to 544,000 hours from 531,000 in 2023. Spills into our rivers in South Hams have been recorded for more than 87,000 hours in 2023 and will have increased in 2024. Spills in South Hams account for about 16% of the spill hours across the whole SWW network. Why are we not an important focus for investment.

There are about 45,000 households in South Hams, and our bills have risen on average by £116 per year. In simple terms, households in South Hams could be paying an additional £7.47 million per year – every year. We deserve a detailed explanation of exactly which sewage and wastewater treatment works will be upgraded because of our investment in South West Water – and exactly when this will happen. We are not ‘just customers’.

This price increase is built into the SWW business investment plan (Asset Management Plan 8) and approved by Ofwat – we are ‘investors’. We want a return on our investment – we deserve answers. The CEO of South West Water, Susan Davey, was again too busy to attend the meeting of the SHDC Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 27th of March, where other SWW representatives faced a barrage of questions from Councillors and Community Groups.

It is a complete fairy tale that Ofwat has approved this huge price increase based on a detailed business plan from South West Water to justify these massive increases. South West Water representatives at the SHDC Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 27th March were unable to provide any details on exactly which sewage and wastewater treatment works in South Hams would be improved because of these price increases. Cllr John McKay, SHDC Executive Cllr for Environment, responded to SWW’s avoidance of the question by proclaiming it unacceptable that months after the price increases had been approved by Ofwat they could provide no details on where the money would be spent on planned asset improvements.

I raised concerns about how believable the proclamations from SWW were that there would be significant reductions in spills in the next 20 years. She said that trust has been destroyed by the shameful shortfalls of all water companies in the AMP7 period. Customers had been promised an average 30% reduction in spills, but after 5 years, the actual reduction delivered was only 2%. I was dismayed that the promises in Asset Management Plans were not ‘legally binding’ as I understood the term. South West Water explained that if they failed to meet self-determined targets they would ‘give the money back’. Unfortunately, the amount of money water companies are obliged by Ofwat, to return is so small that it can be absorbed as a ‘business expense’ and is not a driver for real change.

Hannah Pearson and Nicky Rajska, Friends of the Dart, presented data on the water quality of the five new Designated Bathing Water areas on the River Dart, which showed that all areas would have been determined as ‘Poor’ status based on Environment Agency criteria.

Recent changes in the way future DBW applications will be accepted will depend on the realistic likelihood that the water quality in that area could be improved.

Fewer DBW applications are likely to be accepted. In addition, if current DBWs continue to show “poor’ water quality status – they could be ‘de-designated’ in the future.

There is a glimmer of hope that SWW will install a UV light system at one of the treatment works spilling into one DBW on the Dart to kill bacteria in the water before the spill occurs and this could be in place by 2027.

SWW were still unable to provide a comprehensive plan on which assets in the Dart would be upgraded and by when.

Whilst SWW have had to focus efforts on improvements of assets spilling into DBWs and Shellfish Zones, this will inevitably reduce the likelihood of any investment at all in assets in the other ‘orphan’ river water bodies in South Hams.

The Environment Agency was invited to attend the meeting on the 27th of March but was unable to do so. A further meeting is planned. The EA has been funded by taxpayers, to produce huge volumes of data on water quality that can be used to regulate the water industry in a court of law. But, analysis of published EA data over the last 18 years on one river in South Hams has revealed that levels of bacteria from faecal contamination have been 10 to 100 times above the upper safe limit – yet our rivers are still subject to continuous spills from SWW assets in that river. Too much data – not enough action.

The EA alone has the legal powers to ‘hold SWW to account’ – not SHDC and not community groups. Why has the EA not been able to use this data despite their regulatory powers? If they can't make a difference – what is the point of community groups raising funds and undertaking their own expensive water quality monitoring at certified labs?

We have to protect our rivers because the successive governments, Ofwat and the Environment Agency have failed. Community groups are now funding water quality monitoring so that we are informed of current data we trust.

It can help us with a grassroots initiative to restore river health by working with local partners, farmers and landowners, businesses and households.

SWW will not be funding the improvements in the hydraulic capacity needed so we need to reduce the pressure on the poor infrastructure we are lumbered with.

A local ban on wet wipes would go a long way towards reducing the blockages that contribute to the high spill counts. We must stop the misuse of the drainage and sewage system as a 'cheap easy waste disposal system'. No fat-bergs. Put sanitary towels, tampons and Durex in the bin. Only pee, poo and paper down the loo.

Unusually – the Council Chamber erupted into applause when Chair, Cllr John Hawkins, invited CEO, Susan Davey to choose a date in her diary that would be more convenient for her to attend in person and that SHDC would arrange a meeting at her convenience.

If only the Environment Agency can hold SWW to account – they will also face a barrage of questions about why they have failed to do so – when they attend the forthcoming meeting at the next SHDC Overview & Scrutiny meeting.