Ofwat Confirms Severn Trent’s Wastewater Breaches, but Leicester’s Rivers Tell a Very Different Story

On 8 July 2026, Ofwat released its findings into Severn Trent Water’s wastewater performance. The regulator confirmed serious and unacceptable breaches of the company’s legal duties under the Water Industry Act and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations. These are not minor administrative issues, they are core obligations designed to protect public health, ecosystems, and communities.

Despite this, Ofwat has decided not to issue a financial penalty, making Severn Trent the only major company in the sector‑wide investigation to avoid a fine

For communities in Leicester, this decision lands at a time when our rivers and parks have experienced two pollution events in just a matter of weeks, and when Severn Trent has repeatedly refused to release essential data that would allow us to understand what happened.

This blog sets out what Ofwat found, what is happening locally, and why transparency and accountability remain urgently needed.

What Ofwat Actually Found

Ofwat’s investigation concluded that Severn Trent Water:

• Breached Section 94 of the Water Industry Act, failing to manage sewage and drainage effectively.

• Breached the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations, which govern how wastewater must be treated before release into the environment.

• Historically failed to maintain adequate systems and oversight to ensure its assets were performing properly.

• Remains in breach of key environmental regulations today.

• Must complete a programme of remedial work to return to full compliance.

These findings are unequivocal. They confirm long‑standing structural failure’s. Failures that communities across Leicester have been documenting for years.

Two Pollution Events in Leicester’s Parks and No Answers

In the last couple of months, Leicester has seen two separate pollution incidents in public parks. Both involved visible contamination in watercourses used by families, dog walkers, and wildlife.

In each case:

• Members of the public reported foul odours and discoloured water.

• Volunteers documented the conditions and submitted evidence.

• Clean River Action requested information from Severn Trent under Environmental Information Regulations.

And in both cases, Severn Trent stonewalled those requests declining to provide the data needed to understand the cause, scale, or impact of the pollution.

This refusal directly contradicts the narrative in Ofwat’s statement that Severn Trent has been “proactive,” “transparent,” and “cooperative.”

Transparency is not optional. It is a legal requirement under the Environmental Information Regulations. Communities deserve answers, not silence.

The Spill Reduction Claims Need Context

Ofwat highlights a 41% reduction in storm overflow spills in 2025. While any improvement is welcome, this figure does not tell the full story:

• Spill averages worsened between 2023 and 2024.

• A single‑year drop does not erase years of failures.

• Storm overflow data does not capture dry‑weather spills a recurring issue in Leicester.

• High EDM uptime does not guarantee accurate spill reporting; it only confirms monitors were powered.

In other words: the headline figure is not a reliable indicator of river health.

Local Reality: Leicester’s Rivers Are Still Under Strain

Across the Soar, Saffron Brook, and the Sence, our community testing continues to show:

• Elevated ammonia

• High turbidity

• Indicators of chronic pollution

• Evidence consistent with dry‑weather spills

• Long‑standing infrastructure issues that have not been fully addressed

These findings do not align with the national narrative of rapid improvement.

The benefits Ofwat describes are not yet visible in Leicester’s rivers.

Why No Fine?

Ofwat’s decision not to impose a penalty is based on Severn Trent’s cooperation and its early identification of some network problems. But cooperation after years of failures and after public pressure is not the same as compliance.

Every other major company investigated has faced substantial financial consequences. Severn Trent has not.

For communities who have witnessed repeated pollution events, unanswered questions, and withheld data, this discrepancy is difficult to reconcile.

Stonewalling Data Requests Undermines Public Trust

Clean River Action has submitted multiple Environmental Information Regulation requests relating to:

• Pollution incidents

• Asset performance

• Spill data

• Telemetry failures

• Local network issues

Severn Trent has repeatedly declined to release key information.

This is not transparency.

This is not accountability.

And it is not consistent with the standards Ofwat says the company is now meeting.

Without access to data, communities cannot understand what is happening in their rivers and cannot hold anyone to account.

Where We Go From Here

Clean River Action will continue to:

• Document pollution incidents

• Conduct independent water testing

• Submit EIR requests

• Publish evidence

• Push for full compliance, not partial improvement

• Advocate for investment in failing assets

• Support communities affected by pollution

Our rivers deserve better than selective data, withheld information, and repeated incidents with no clear explanation.

The regulator has confirmed the breaches.

The community has documented the impacts.

Now the company must deliver the transparency and improvements it has promised.

Join Us

If you want to support river testing, join a river walk, or help strengthen our evidence base, please get in touch.

Every sample and every observation helps build the picture that regulators and water companies cannot ignore.