Calls for South West Water CEO to resign over 'Christmas sewage dumping'

Susan Davy, who is CEO of Pennon Group and the boss of South West Water, has been told to resign by a group of MPs. Credit: PA

The boss of South West Water has been told to resign by a group of MPs citing Christmas sewage dumping, rising bills, and poor service delivery.

Susan Davy, who is CEO of Pennon Group - South West Water’s parent company - has been urged to “do the decent thing” and step down from her £860,000-a-year job by three South West MPs.

The letter was sent by Ben Maguire, the Liberal Democrats MP for North Cornwall, and co-signed by Andrew George, the Liberal Democrats MP for St Ives, and Cameron Thomas, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Labour MP for Poole, was a fourth signatory.

Ben Maguire, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, with Surfers Against Sewage. Credit: Ben Maguire

“We are writing to you directly to call for your resignation as Chief Executive of Pennon Group following your company’s repeated and unacceptable failures to prevent sewage dumping across Cornwall and the South West’s beaches and waterways,” Mr Maguire said in his letter.

“The scale of the crisis under your leadership is now intolerable.

"The Environment Agency reported a staggering 530,000+ hours of sewage overflows in the south-west region in 2023 alone, an 83% increase on the previous year.”

In their letter, the MPs accused Pennon Group of increasing water bills while “the standards of service that our constituents feel they receive drops lower and lower by the day”.

'We deserve better than this' - MPs

They added: “Adding insult to injury, your decision to forgo a bonus but instead increase your total compensation from £543,000 to £860,000 does nothing to reassure us that you take these failures seriously.

South West Water serves approximately 1.8 million people living in Cornwall, Devon and parts of Somerset and Dorset.

"For the sake of our constituents, for all of the South West, and for the environment we hold so dear, I urge you to do the decent thing and step aside, so that fresh leadership can finally rectify the scandal of sewage dumping.

"We deserve better than this.”

South West Water serves approximately 1.8 million people living in Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Somerset and Dorset.

The company has been approached by ITV News West Country for comment and says it remains committed to improving water quality for its customers.