Merlin Yes Southern Water should be prosecuted where they deleberaty discharge raw sewage but just because they have been found guility in a number of locations you seem to say they must be guility in Hastings.
Having lived in Hastings for over 60 years I can remember when raw sewage was discharged onto the beach at Rock-a-nore every day and at a number of others locations during storms. It was therefore a great improvement when in 1999 Southern Water completed the £55 million Batthing Water improvement Scheme not only treating the daily output of sewerage but also providing storage to stop the system overflowing onto the beaches during rain storms. I was one of 1066 Hastings residents who were able to walk this new storage tunnel from Alexander Park to Warrior Sq.
Regarding the pumps on the beach I was correcting your claim that these pumps were pumping raw sewerage into the sea at Harold place it was rain water from the Alexander Park stream.
Regarding the overflow at Bexhill this was explained as an electrical failure yes why didn’t Southern Water have a more robust backup system.
The failures at Bulverhythe Road was explained as breaks in the pumping main taking raw sewage to the treatment works at Pebsham and Southern Water have anouned and are now carrying out works to reinforce this section of pipe.
Neither of these two incidents were the planned and deleberate discharge of raw sewage.
I understand that there are still minor problems where builders have connected WC etc to the rainwater drainage systems thus polluting them. These are being investigated by HBC and Southern Water and the guility property owners required to correct them.
Your seem to suggest that Southern Water should have increased the capicitity in their network so that developers can make more profit from the rape of our countryside.

Peter, how are you going to explain the illegal dumping for which Southern Water has been fined? Here’s an article about it, bit old but much more recent than 1999. https://www.sas.org.uk/updates/southern-water-slammed-with-record-fine-for-sewage-pollution/

How about their spill in Bexhill? https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/health-and-environment/southern-watergate/

Neglecting basic maintenance duties?
In small ways: https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/news/water-meadow/
In big ways: https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/news/bulverhythe-sewage-clean-up/

Their inability to plan ahead and advise on future developments?
https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/news/fairlight-sees-off-development-plan-for-now/

Running a functioning water network is hugely expensive and doesn’t promise profit. Over a long enough time line it might cover its own costs, but that’s it.

No private, capitalist (i.e. profit-driven) company is suitable to administer and maintain such a vital utility – it has no reason to spend the amount of resources to keep the network functional.

Southern Water and others have proved that. They’ve in fact proved it’s cheaper for them to pay fines than it is to do their job effectively, sustainably and safely. And they’ve therefore made it clear that they’d rather act illegally and pay the fines than do their job.

Please don’t just reply “capitalism was fixed as part of the 1999 scheme installing a pipeline to China”.

Thank you Isabella! I have read the article, as you suggested and I’m grateful that you posted it as southern water regularly claims it pays no dividends to shareholders. This is clearly the external dividends it is referring to. But I couldn’t find the reference anywhere in the FT article to the amount Southern Water pays in internal dividends. Did you have that info?

The temporary pumps are for the blocked pipe that the outfall for the Alexandra park stream. All tthe sewer overflows into this stream were diverted as part of the 1999 scheme.

See the current and recent local and national coverage on water companies, particularly Southern Water, illegally dumping across the land. Almost as many litres of verbillage as sewage.

Definitely was not sorted in 1999.

Something to look into perhaps. What did those works actually achieve if 20 years later the system’s overwhelmed?