United Utilities Water Limited was fined £900,000 and ordered to pay £62,225 in prosecution costs at Preston Magistrates’ Court today, 8 September 2026. The company pleaded guilty to five environmental permit offences related to a sewage spill along the Fylde Coast in June 2023.
The incident involved raw sewage being discharged into the Irish Sea from three coastal pumping stations for more than 35 hours in total between 11 and 22 June 2023. This led to 'no bathing' advice being issued across all eight designated bathing waters along the affected coastline, and sampling indicated the presence of E. coli. Three shellfish beds were also temporarily closed by the Food Standards Agency due to public health concerns.
An Environment Agency investigation found the incident began after a partial collapse of a final effluent pipe at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment Works. This reduced the site's capacity, causing sewage to back up and subsequently discharge from the pumping stations following periods of rainfall. The Environment Agency's analysis of data provided by United Utilities found that the conditions for discharging sewage, as set out in their environmental permits, had not been met when the spills occurred.
United Utilities Water Limited admitted the breaches when interviewed under caution and pleaded guilty to the five offences during a court hearing on 22 April 2026. Andy Brown, Environment Agency’s Water Regulation Manager, stated that the fine reflects the seriousness of the offences and the harm caused.