A Brighton resident taking a stand against Southern Water – and why you might want to as well.
I live on the coast. I shouldn’t have to check whether it’s safe to go in the sea.
But that’s where we are. Before I swim, I check the Surfers Against Sewage alert map. Not because I’m being overcautious, but because Southern Water regularly discharges sewage into the water along our coastline, and has done for years.
So I stopped paying the wastewater portion of my bill.
I did this for many reasons. Anger at the complete disregard for our environment from Southern Water and other water companies. Despair at the inaction of the Environment Agency to do anything about it. And because I’m being charged for a service that isn’t being delivered – and as a captive customer with no right to go elsewhere, withholding payment is one of the few meaningful things I can do.
This site exists to share what I’ve learned, what the process looks like, and what the risks are. If you’re a Southern Water customer in Brighton or Hove who is fed up with paying for sewage to be dumped in your sea, you might find it useful.
What Southern Water has done
- Been fined a record £90 million in 2021 for nearly 7,000 illegal sewage discharges – source.
- Has been responsible for 81% of serious pollution incidents in 2024 alongside Thames Water and Yorkshire Water – source.
- Is rated 2 stars by the Environment Agency — one of the lowest in the industry – source.
- Has raised customer bills by 46.7% in 2025 – the largest single-year increase in the country – with a further 8% rise in April 2026 – source.
- Is ultimately owned through a Jersey-registered holding company with a Cayman Islands finance arm, majority-controlled by an Australian asset management firm – source.
Not a single water company executive has been sent to prison since privatisation in 1989.
What this site is not
This is not legal advice. Withholding your wastewater payment carries real risks, including debt collection action, potential impact on your credit rating, and possible court proceedings. This site is one person sharing their experience and the information I wish I’d had at the start. What you do with that is entirely your decision.