Seven former employees of Southern Water, including ex-chief executive Matthew Wright, have appeared in court facing charges of conspiracy to defraud. The allegations center on the manipulation of water quality tests between January 2012 and December 2017, with the aim of avoiding penalties from environmental regulators.
Wright, 60, who denies any wrongdoing, appeared at Bromley Magistrates' Court alongside three other former employees: Philip Barker, 57, Clive Massey, 64, and Mark Gregory, 63. They are accused of conspiring to defraud the Environment Agency and water regulator Ofwat. It is alleged that the group manipulated a self-monitoring regime by conducting artificial "no-flow events" at wastewater treatment works to circumvent failing environmental checks. According to the charges, this conduct could have allowed the company to avoid fines totaling £45 million or more.
Barker, Massey, and Gregory were reportedly officers or senior operations managers at Southern Water during the period of the alleged offenses, according to a previous High Court ruling. Southern Water itself faces separate charges for numerous alleged violations of environmental permit conditions.
Three additional defendants—Mark Butler, 45, David James, 58, and Terry Stephens, 67—also appeared in court on Friday, facing the same charge. District Judge Stephen Leake determined that the charges were related and transferred the case to Maidstone Crown Court, where all seven defendants are scheduled to appear on October 9. Wright, Gregory, and Butler attended the hearing in person, while the other defendants appeared via video link. All seven were granted unconditional bail.