SOUTHERN WATER has been named and shamed as one of the nation's highest-fined companies for pollution offences last year.

An Environment Agency report shows the company was fined a total of £73,200 over 2003 - the fourth highest amount for any business and the worst for any water company.

The seven prosecutions against Southern Water included a £3,000 fine at Maidstone magistrates court after its wastewater treatment works at Coxheath failed and farmland was polluted with sewage.

The report, entitled Spotlight on Business, included details of all companies fined £10,000 or more for environmental offences during 2003.

Southern Water says it is planning to undertake a wide-scale programme to upgrade ageing sewage treatment works and sewers to help tackle the "unacceptable" number of pollution incidents.

Managing director Stuart Derwent said: "We very much regret any pollution incidents and apologise for them. They are unacceptable and we are determined to do something about them.

"While we have delivered huge environmental improvements across our region, with new treatment systems, there is also a pressing need for us to upgrade much of our older infrastructure to protect the environment."

The company says that over the next five years it plans to spend £542m to upgrade and replace more than 150 wastewater treatment works and spend £93m on replacing sewers nearing the end of their life.

Southern Water says its programme, submitted to Ofwat for approval, will help tackle the issue of pollution incidents highlighted in the Environment Agency's Spotlight report.

Other measures it will take include improving the way maintenance is carried out, a review of alarm systems and security at sites, additional advice to staff, better targeting of investment and maintaining close liaison with the Environment Agency.

Mr Derwent added that while the company regretted any pollution it was also "important to retain a sense of proportion".

He said: "All of the incidents in the agency's report were short-lived and all but one did not result in any long term environmental damage."

Despite Southern Water's disappointing performance, the south of England had the second fewest major prosecutions for environmental offences in the country. Only four companies in the south were highlighted compared to 15 in the Midlands and 12 in the North West.

Howard Davidson, regional director for the Environment Agency in the south, said: "We are very pleased with the results in Spotlight. We work constantly with companies in the south to help them achieve environmental best practice and this work seems to be really paying off."

On Southern Water's performance he added: "We are working to help Southern Water reduce the number of serious pollution incidents that occur. On many occasions, Southern Water informs us where there has been an incident which helps us to work together on the clean-up operation sooner."

KM-fm's Ed Cook has been speaking to Peter Midgely from the Environment Agency and Southern Water's Richard Price...