Former Southern Water CEO charged in wastewater fraud

The Environment Agency has begun criminal proceedings against Southern Water and four former senior executives, including former CEO Matthew Wright, accusing them of conspiring to defraud the regulator by manipulating Operator Self-Monitoring tests between 2012 and 2017, with separate charges for environmental-permit breaches as the case proceeds to Medway Magistrates Court. The High Court had previously upheld the EA’s authority to prosecute in this matter, underscoring accountability in the water sector.