Anglian Water has been fined £1.4m for drinking water failures which affected around 1.3 million people.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) said the company used unapproved plastic-based products to externally coat pipework submerged in drinking water tanks at four different sites.
The pipes were installed between 2016 and 2019 and remained until 2021.
Anglian Water supplies an area of eastern England from the Humber to the Thames Estuary,
“Contamination of drinking water on any scale is scandalous and a complete disgrace,” said Environment Secretary Steve Reed.
“The record £1.4m fine handed down sends a clear signal that this criminal behaviour is unacceptable,” he added.
The DWI said its investigation uncovered wider issues, including a lack of staff training, poor oversight of the supply chain, and in some cases, water tanks continued to be used even after the company knew they contained unapproved products.
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All of the issues have since been rectified, according to the DWI.
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Anglian Water, which reported the failures to the DWI, pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court and issued a statement in response.
“We apologise for and regret breaching [the regulations] and accept the judgement for the five sites in 2021.
“The procedures we had in place fell short and as a result, we have since invested significantly to improve these and have shared our learnings across the water industry.”
The DWI reported that the plastic-based coatings within the drinking water tanks had broken down into flakes and powder, which entered the water supply.
Anglian Water appeared to dispute this, adding: “Despite the breach, there was no evidence of any contamination of the water supply and the judge agreed based on independent expert reports that the risk to customers was very low.”
From April, price hikes at Anglian Water saw the average bill rise 19% from £527 to £626 a year, according to Water UK, representing an increase of £99.
