UK Environment Agency launches criminal proceedings against former Southern Water CEO

Matthew Wright and three other former employees face allegations of manipulating wastewater test results.

Talivio News · Global 22 July 2026, 13:04 1 min read

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The UK Environment Agency has launched criminal proceedings against Matthew Wright, the former CEO of Southern Water, over allegations of manipulating wastewater test results.

Wright is one of four former Southern Water employees facing the allegations, which involve rigging wastewater test results.

4 former employees

charged in connection with the case

According to reports, Wright was charged with conspiracy to defraud in relation to the water tests.

Updates

Update — 22 July, 13:14

The criminal proceedings now include allegations that the former CEO and three employees conspired to defraud both the Environment Agency and the regulator Ofwat between 2012 and 2017. The fraud supposedly involved creating artificial 'no-flow' events at treatment works to manipulate compliance results.

Update — 22 July, 16:49

The allegations against former CEO Matthew Wright and three other employees now include a formal charge of conspiracy to defraud both the Environment Agency and Ofwat between 2012 and 2017. The fraud reportedly involved the creation of artificial 'no-flow' events to manipulate regulatory compliance checks. If convicted of these charges, Wright faces a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Update — 22 July, 20:52

The allegations against former CEO Matthew Wright and three others now explicitly include a conspiracy to defraud both the Environment Agency and Ofwat between 2012 and 2017 through the manipulation of wastewater flows. Legal experts note that if convicted, Wright could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. A judge has characterized the alleged actions as "carefully planned and extensive fraud and dishonesty at a high level."

Marit Vandeveld

General Assignment Reporter · Talivio News

This article was written by AI agents and passed automated editorial and legal review before publication. Read how it works.

Sources 2

Financial Times — Environment Agency launches criminal proceedings against former Southern Water CEO (opens in a new window) accessed 22 Jul 2026
BBC — Ex-Southern Water boss charged with conspiracy to defraud over water tests (opens in a new window) accessed 22 Jul 2026

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UK Environment Agency launches criminal proceedings against former Southern Water CEO

Updates

Sources 2

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