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South Staffordshire Water Plc – Disinfection and Competency Improvements (South Staffordshire area)

Notice under regulation 28(4) of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended)

Reference: SST-2026-00002

Version Number: 1

Water undertaker as appointed under section 6 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended): South Staffordshire Water Plc, with registered number 02662742 (hereinafter called ‘the company’).

Assets Affected:

  • Hampton Loade works
  • Seedy Mill works
  • Groundwater treatment works listed in annex 1

Details of this Notice:

  1. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (‘the Inspectorate’) has received a regulation 28(1) report of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 (as amended) (‘the Regulations’) from the company dated 1 February 2026, which states that there is or has been a significant risk of supplying water from multiple works in the South Staffordshire operating area (and associated assets as applicable) that could constitute a potential danger to human health or could be unwholesome.
  2. Consequently, this Notice is served on the company by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, under regulation 28(4) for the assets listed above, for risks associated with:

Description of Risk

Hazard/ Hazardous Event/ Parameter

Hazard I D

Inadequate water treatment leading to consumer impact.

Failure/Inaccurate Online monitoring.

TKIPW1329 for example.

Contamination of water supplies leading to consumer impact.

Contamination – Inadequate training or supervision, Improper maintenance or equipment operation.

TKIPW1298 for example.

No supply to consumers.

Disinfection process resilience.

TKIPW1307 for example.

Table 1: Table of the hazards, hazardous events, and/or parameters covered by this Notice, including the Hazard I D numbers and the description of risks.

  1. The company are required to satisfy the following requirements.

The date given is that until or by which the requirements must be maintained or satisfied, as appropriate.

Requirements:

(a) To maintain the following measures for the period specified in each case:

  1. Verify and calibrate all water quality chlorine monitors to ensure traceability, verification and demonstrate compliance.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  2. Maintain and operate existing works treatment in accordance with Company standards and requirements.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  3. Liaise with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and local authorities in the event of any breach of a health-based parameter.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  4. Monthly leadership site audits to be undertaken with personnel, during which drinking water quality is actively discussed and reinforced.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.
  5. Embed the Company Water Quality Charter across all levels of the organisation to ensure the safeguard of drinking water quality.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice.

(b) To review, revise or make operational the following measures, by the dates specified in each case:

  1. Update all site-specific disinfection policies to explicitly identify and define critical controls for disinfection that are required to protect drinking water quality.
    Date: 31 December 2026.
  2. Review Drinking Water Safety Plan documentation to ensure that all compliance‑critical control measures are clearly identified, subject to appropriate assurance, and have defined ownership.
    Date: 31 December 2026.
  3. Develop and implement a policy for the full-loop testing of chlorine monitors to provide assurance that chlorine monitoring equipment, associated alarms, telemetry and operational responses function as intended.
    Date: Complete.
  4. Ensure that all personnel responsible for undertaking full-loop testing of chlorine monitors receive appropriate briefing and training and are assessed as competent to carry out the required testing, recording and escalation activities.
    Date: Complete.
  5. Complete and verify full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance.
    Date: 31 December 2026.
  6. Complete and verify full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at Seedy Mill Treatment Works and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  7. Complete and verify full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at the remaining treatment works in the South Staffordshire operating area (listed in annex 1) and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance.
    Date: 31 December 2027.
  8. Review and implement arrangements for the control and use of monitor overrides, including defined authorisation requirements, recording requirements and escalation procedures for the application and removal of overrides.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  9. Develop and implement a documented shutdown testing procedure for chlorine monitoring equipment and establish a testing programme within the Company’s management systems to provide ongoing assurance of monitor performance.
    Date: 31 January 2027.

(c) To audit whether the measures have been effective by the following means:

  1. Define an audit strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the measures specified in sections (a) and (b).
    Date: 31 December 2026.
  2. Implement, and keep under continuous review, the audit strategy defined in measure (c)1.
    Date: Following completion of measure (c)1. onwards.

(d) Not to supply water for regulation 4(1) purposes from multiple treatment works in the South Staffordshire operating area, or not to so supply unless the specified conditions below are satisfied:

  1. Not Applicable

(e) To provide the following information in the time and manner specified below to enable monitoring of progress towards the mitigation of the risks:

  1. Provide a progress report annually.
    Date: by 31 January each year.
  2. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has updated all site-specific disinfection policies to explicitly identify and define critical controls for disinfection that are required to protect drinking water quality, as required in measure (b)1.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  3. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has reviewed its Drinking Water Safety Plan documentation to ensure that all compliance‑critical control measures are clearly identified, subject to appropriate assurance, and have defined ownership, as required in measure (b)2.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  4. Provide evidence that the company has developed and implemented a policy for the full-loop testing of chlorine monitors to provide assurance that chlorine monitoring equipment, associated alarms, telemetry and operational responses function as intended, as required in measure (b)3.
    Date: 30 November 2026.
  5. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has ensured that all personnel responsible for undertaking full-loop testing of chlorine monitors receive appropriate briefing and training and are assessed as competent to carry out the required testing, recording and escalation activities as required in measure (b)4.
    Date: 30 November 2026.
  6. Provide evidence to show that the company has completed and verified full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance, as required in measure (b)5.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  7. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has completed and verified full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at Seedy Mill Treatment Works and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance, as required by measure (b)6.
    Date: 28 February 2027.
  8. Provide evidence that the company has completed and verified full-loop testing for all Regulation 26 chlorine monitors at the remaining treatment works in the South Staffordshire operating area (listed in annex 1) and implement a documented annual testing programme within the Company’s management systems to ensure ongoing assurance of monitor performance, as required by measure (b)7.
    Date: 31 January 2028.
  9. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has reviewed and implemented arrangements for the control and use of monitor overrides, including defined authorisation requirements, recording requirements and escalation procedures for the application and removal of overrides.
    Date: 28 February 2027.
  10. Provide evidence to demonstrate that the company has developed and implemented a documented shutdown testing procedure for chlorine monitoring equipment and establish a testing programme within the Company’s management systems to provide ongoing assurance of monitor performance.
    Date: 28 February 2027.
  11. Submit the audit strategy for auditing the effectiveness of the measures, as specified in measure (c)1.
    Date: 31 January 2027.
  12. Submit any revisions of the audit strategy produced under measure (c)2.
    Date: Within 1 month of a revision
  13. Submit a report in the event that any completed measures of this Notice need to be altered in any way, for any reason.
    Date: Ongoing for the duration of this Notice
  14. Submit a satisfactory completion report accompanied by a revised regulation 28(1) report with Board level Director sign-off.
    Date: 31 January 2029.

Further Details of this Notice:

  1. Any product or substance used as a result of the requirements in this Notice must comply with regulation 31.
  2. Under regulation 28(6) the Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, may by notice served on the company, revoke or vary this Notice.
  3. Failure by the company to comply with this Notice may result in enforcement proceedings under section 18 of the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended).

Signed

Nicholas Adjei
Deputy Chief Inspector, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
28 October 2026
Reference: SST-2026-00002 v1

Annex 1:

Table 2: A list of treatment works covered by this notice.

Site Code

Treatment Works

TASPW

Ashwood Pumping Station

TBVPW

Bourne Vale Pumping Station

TCCPW1

Chilcote Pumping Station

TCHPW1

Churchill Pumping Station

TCOPW

Cookley Pumping Station

TCRPW1

Crumpwood Pumping Station

TFRPW

Fradley Pumping Station

THIPW

Hinksford Pumping Station

THOPW

Hopwas Pumping Station

TKIPW1

Kinver Pumping Station

TLHPW1

Little Hay Pumping Station

TMAPW1

Mayfield Pumping Station

TMBPW

Maple Brook Pumping Station

TMGPWC

Moors Gorse Combined PW

TPHPW

Pipe Hill Pumping Station

TPRPW1

Prestwood Pumping Station


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