Havant Borough Council (HBC) is calling on the government
and regulators to urgently inspect Southern Water’s
operational sites in the borough following a unanimous vote
of no confidence in the water company.
At its full council meeting on Wednesday, 7 October,
councillors debated a motion to declare a vote of no
confidence in Southern Water and to write to the Secretary
of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat, and
the Environment Agency, urging them to take regulatory
action against Southern Water and to inspect the Budds Farm
wastewater treatment works and the Havant Thicket reservoir
site.
Councillors from all parties voted in favour of the motion,
which also formally requested the Planning Inspectorate to
pause or re-evaluate plans to recycle wastewater at the new
Havant Thicket reservoir and for Southern Water to fund
real-time water quality testing and electronic signage at
Havant’s coastal bathing waters, including Hayling Island.
Councillor Jonathan Hulls,
who brought the motion, said: “This vote of no confidence
sends a clear and direct message to Southern Water that we
will no longer accept their continued failure to respect and
protect our local environment and waters.
“For years now our residents, visitors, businesses and our
wildlife have had to put up with repeated discharges of
untreated sewage into Langstone Harbour, Chichester Harbour,
and off Hayling Island, posing a serious risk of harm to
public health, local tourism and marine economies.
“We are demanding that the government and environmental and
industry regulators that hold water companies to account
come to Havant, inspect Southern Water’s operational sites
and practices and take action against them to bring the
improvements that are desperately needed.
“We recognise there is a shortage of water in the southeast,
which is why HBC originally granted planning permission to
Portsmouth Water to build a fresh water reservoir in the
borough.
“Since then, Southern Water has applied to the government
via a Development Consent Order (DCO) for permission to
recycle effluent through the reservoir, essentially
chemically treating sewage so that it can be used as
drinking water.
“Whilst the DCO will be decided by the Secretary of State,
we believe Southern Water must demonstrate real and
sustained improvement before effluent recycling at the
reservoir should even be considered.”
Havant Borough Council 15 October 2026
