Southern Water has provoked outrage after bidding to increase householders' bills at the same time we can reveal it has poured sewage overflows into rivers for 1,500 hours.
The beleaguered utility firm has already been given permission by regulator Ofwat to increase bills by 47 per cent over the next five years - but is now appealing that decision as it had wanted a 91 per cent increase.
CEO Lawrence Gosden said the company cannot "deliver the environmental and performance improvements and new infrastructure" without the money.
But Southampton Itchen MP Darren Paffey has accused the company of treating customers like a "cash cow".
He told the Echo: “Given the levels of sewage we continue to see being dumped into the River Itchen, it is outrageous that Southern Water is looking to hike up charges to billpayers.
"Following years of underinvestment in our water system by water companies, it is simply wrong that my constituents are expected to pick up the bill. Southern Water have a plan agreed with the regulator, they should at a minimum adhere to this.
"People in Southampton deserve clean rivers, not a system that prioritises profit over public health.
“Billpayers will be rightly outraged that after years of growing costs and seeing little investment in local infrastructure, Southern Water are now treating customers like a cash cow. These improvements should have been happening as part of their ongoing commitments to Southampton."
Surfers Against Sewage monitor storm overflows and analysis by the Echo shows that since January 1, sewage has flowed into the Itchen for 359 hours.
Storm overflows into the Test hit 554 hours and at Bartley Water they lasted 654 hours, with 1,569 hours in total including the Itchen.
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Friends of the Itchen Estuary chairman Gavin Millar said Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works are a major problem.
He said: "Discharges of raw sewage into the Itchen following rainfall events are a minor issue compared to the 24/7, 365 days a year of discharge of poorly treated sewage effluent from Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works.
"The Itchen Estuary could be an iconic blue and green space within Southampton. Yet it is blighted by Southern Water's refusal to stop dumping their costs onto the environment."
Southern Water says next month it intends announce details of a £100m investment to reduce storm overflows and improve water quality for the River Test and Itchen.
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A spokesperson for Southern Water said: "Storm overflows are there to help protect homes, businesses, hospitals and schools from flooding especially during and after heavy rainfall.
"We have been an industry leader for some time in finding nature-based and engineering solutions that stop or slow the flow of surface and groundwater into our sewers – but this will not happen overnight, and requires a lot of time and money."
Southern Water's CEO statement
Southern Water is taking its appeal to the Competitions Market Authority.
CEO Lawrence Gosden said this is happening at the same time the company is hoping to raise £900m of new equity.
He said: "After very careful consideration, our board has decided to appeal Ofwat’s Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority.
"The Final Determination would not enable us to deliver the environmental and performance improvements and new infrastructure that our customers and communities rightly expect.
“The next formal step in the process is submission of our statement of case to the CMA. We’re ready to meet the CMA’s timetable.
"In addition, to continue advancing investment in the improvements and new infrastructure needed, today we’ve also announced our intention to raise £900million of new equity.”
The company says shareholders have not taken dividends since 2017 and the company has received £1.65 billion of new equity between 2021-24.
A spokesperson added: "Our CMA appeal will not affect customer bills for 2025-26 and the support Southern Water offers to those households in the greatest need has expanded significantly over the last year.
"As part of this, over the next five years we are increasing the number of homes receiving a discount of 45 per cent or more on their bill to 182,000 homes.
"We appreciate the impact the bill increases... will have for our customers, and stand ready to work with all of our regulators on ways to best manage any further increases that may follow the CMA process."
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