Britain’s Anglian Water was fined 1.4 million pounds ($1.9 million) over
drinking water contamination, in the latest scandal in an industry which is facing
a public backlash over environmental failures and rising bills.
The government h
as launched a review aimed at
reforming the privatized water sector to improve its environmental performance after years of unde
r-investment led to repeated sewage spills into Britain’s rivers
and seas. It is due to report this summer.
Anglian Water, which supp
lies eastern England, reported its use of unapproved plastic-based products in pipework to the Drin
king Water Inspectorate and
pleaded guilty in court for the failures which impacted 1.3 million people in 2021.
“Contamination of drinking water on any scale is scandalous and a c
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omplete disgrace,” Environment Minister Steve Reed said in a statement on Friday.
“The record 1.4 mil
ion pound fine handed down sends a clear signal that this criminal behavior is unacceptable.”
All of the issues acro
ss Anglian Water’s network have now been rectified, the statement added.
($1 = 0.7528 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah You
ng; editing by Sachin Ravikumar)