Sewage breaches: Southern Water fined £7.1m over Kent discharges. Broadstairs, a seaside town known as the “jewel in Thanet’s crown,” sits amid scrutiny as water quality and accountability spark local debate.
Southern Water has been fined £7.127m after pleading guilty to 13 offences linked to illegal sewage discharges at Margate and Broadstairs between 2019 and 2021. The judge cited a pattern of noncompliance and warned of broader environmental harm and disruption to tourism in Kent.