The former chief executive of Southern Water, Matthew Wright, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud authorities over allegations he was involved in a plan to manipulate water quality tests. Wright, 60, of Haslemere, Surrey, was charged alongside three other individuals: Philip Barker, 57, of West Chiltington, West Sussex; Clive Massey, 64, of Brandhill, Shropshire; and Mark Gregory, 63, of Southampton.
The allegations centre around the implementation of artificial no-flow events at wastewater treatment works between 2012 and 2017. This allegedly allowed the company to avoid millions of pounds in penalties. The Environment Agency (EA) and water regulator Ofwat were targeted in the alleged scheme.
The EA previously asked a judge to issue a summons against Wright and the others, which was issued last year. Wright's lawyers challenged the summons, claiming the EA did not have the power to issue it. However, the High Court dismissed this claim and lifted restrictions on reporting the case.
The four individuals are scheduled to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court on 14 July. Southern Water has also been charged with dozens of offences related to failing to comply with or contravening environmental permit conditions at multiple wastewater treatment works.
Rules around operator self-monitoring (OSM) have been tightened in the past year, including the requirement to reschedule samples if the discharge flow is insufficient. The Labour government has pledged to end the practice.