Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | NOVEMbEr 2013 | 5 Bournemouth-SWW merger cleared by CMA review The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally cleared the acquisition of Bournemouth Water by Pennon and the subsequent merger of Bournemouth Water with South West Water. Following its review, the CMA has concluded that the merger is not likely to prejudice Ofwat's ability to compare water companies' performance and set price controls. The acquisition of Bournemouth Water by Pennon Group – the owner of South West Water – was automatically referred for an in-depth investigation in June 2015. The Authority had to assess whether the merger could be expected to prejudice the ability of Ofwat to make comparisons between different water companies for the purpose of its regulatory functions. During the inquiry it examined how the merger might affect Ofwat's ability to make comparisons in each of the following areas: setting wholesale price controls; setting retail price controls; setting wholesale quality of service performance targets; improving retail quality of service; and spreading best practice. Chair of the Pennon / Bournemouth Water inquiry group, Simon Polito, said: "The use of comparisons between water companies will continue to play a significant role in the regulation of this sector for some time to come. A•er the merger, Ofwat will be le• with 17 water company comparators to use for benchmarking and in setting targets to improve performance." "Our examination of Ofwat's econometric modelling, and its wider use of comparisons, indicates that the merger is not likely to harm Ofwat's ability to set appropriately demanding targets for the benefit of customers, given the number of different companies that will remain. We are now consulting on this provisional decision and look forward to hearing the views of interested parties." The CMA is expected to publish its final report by 22 November 2015. Polluters pay Pub company fined for sewage treatment lapse A pub company has been fined £150,000 a er its sewage treatment works polluted a nearby watercourse in Teesside. Spirit Pub Company Ltd, which runs the Cross Keys Inn pub and hotel at Middlesbrough Road in Guisborough, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency a er investiga- tions revealed that sewage was not being treated effectively before being discharged into a tributary of the River Leven. At Teesside Magistrates' Court on Friday 25 September, the company pleaded guilty and was sentenced for two charges of breaching conditions of an environmental permit and one charge of not sufficiently maintaining the sewage treatment works. Severn Trent hit with £480K fine Severn Trent has been hit with the third largest pollution fine ever handed out to a UK water company. The utility was fined £480,000 and ordered to pay costs of £13,675.38 and a £120 victim surcharge following a pollu- tion incident at Kingsforth Brook near Rotherham in February 2014. The incident followed a rupture in a Severn Trent raw sewage pipeline in Wickersley, which poured sewage into a farmer's field, a pond and the brook. Southern Water punished for Worthing spill Southern Water has been hit with a fine of £160,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,000 in relation to a major sewage pollution incident at its East Worthing wastewater treatment works. The Environment Agency prosecuted Southern over the incident which caused 40 million litres of untreated sewage to be discharged from the works over a period of two days in September 2012, and resulted in the closure of beaches in East Sussex for six days. A er being found guilty in August, the utility was sentenced on Sep 22 at Chichester Crown Court. VOX POP "In Scotland we have worked very hard to ensure there is a genuine level playing field - ensuring that a licensed provider with an efficient level of cost can compete effectively with incumbents." Alan Sutherland, Water Industry Commission for Scotland "Fire-fighting is no way to manage valuable assets. Would you allow your car to completely fall to pieces before you did something about it?" Leo Carswell, Head of Technology, WRc "I am delighted to be joining a sector where the hard work of so many people makes such an essential contribution to our way of life." Michael Roberts, the new chief executive of Water UK Water Industry awards open for entries The Water Industry Achievement Awards, organised by WWT and WET News, are now open for entries. The awards celebrate water industry innovation and best practice, with 13 categories including Engineer of the Year, Water Resource Management Initiative of the Year, Data Project of the Year, and Best Partnership Initiative. Confirmed sponsors for the awards include NM Group, CPSA, Asset International, TES, Saint-Gobain PAM, Selwood and Teekay Couplings. The closing date for entries is 15th January 2016, and the winners will be announced at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on May 17. Details of the awards are available at www.wwtonline. co.uk/awards or email wiaa@ fav-house.com.

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