A row over a persistent and unpleasant smell in Tiverton has intensified, with the town’s MP launching a scathing attack on the region’s water provider and warning further action could follow if concerns are not addressed.
Speaking after a public meeting held on Friday, April 17, Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour set out a series of criticisms of South West Water and its parent company, Pennon Group, alongside a list of actions she says she will now pursue.
Ms Gilmour said her concerns about the company predated her election, claiming she had been approached by a whistleblower with insider knowledge.
She said: “Before I got elected I was approached by somebody who worked for South West Water which is otherwise known as the Pennon Group, and he was a whistleblower.
“He told me from the start that because South West Water is a company, it is designed to make money for its shareholders.”
She added: “The way they make money for their shareholders is a combination of factors. One is putting up bills and the other one is not looking after their assets.”
Ms Gilmour claimed this had led to wider issues across the South West, arguing that infrastructure had not been adequately maintained.
She said: “They have got a major problem across the South West that their assets are not looked after because it costs them money.”
Referencing a previous incident in Brixham, she said initial blame had been placed on farmers before responsibility shifted.
She said: “It turned out the Pennon Group was their problem because they had not looked after their assets.”
Ms Gilmour added that the situation had serious consequences for residents.
Following that incident, she said Liberal Democrat MPs across the South West had taken coordinated action.
She said: “Every single Liberal Democrat MP in the South West wrote and demanded the resignation of the CEO of the Pennon Group, which is what happened.”
A new chief executive is now due to take up the role, with Ms Gilmour confirming she has already been in contact.
The MP also used her speech to raise broader concerns about how water services are managed, questioning whether current structures are fit for purpose.
(Credit : Derek Harper / Geograph)
She said: “I think water should not be a privilege but clean water should be a right.
“I think there is something profoundly wrong with a company and corporation being allowed to make a massive profit and get away without investing in things when we are dealing with what is a national asset.”
Ms Gilmour referred to ongoing national discussions around water reform, including a government-backed review.
She said: “The government did set up a consultation, Cunliffe Commission, and there are some awkward questions to be answered.”
She added: “There will be some murky solution that comes of it and my party are particularly unhappy about that.”
Turning to her own dealings with South West Water, Ms Gilmour described a recent meeting in Bampton as “particularly unpleasant”.
She said: “They sent along a director, the attitude was absolutely appalling.
“Arrogance, inertia, and in the end I said to him and his team ‘I do not think there is any point in this meeting going any further, you have not been able to convince me that you care or understand’ and so I sent them home.”
The MP said she is now compiling a detailed record of commitments and responses over the smell in Tiverton.
She said: “I have made a list of actions and I will have a complete file of who said what they would do, and what South West Water have said.”
She also warned she would continue to press the issue in Parliament if necessary.
She said: “If anyone has seen me stand in Parliament when I am extremely angry I do not shout, I do not go red, I go white, cold, rigid, anger, and I am prepared to continue doing this again and again and again.”
Ms Gilmour said she would escalate matters further if the company fails to respond adequately.
She said: “If we do not get satisfaction from the new CEO I will ask him to consider his position and it would get cross-party MPs from across the South West to write that letter.”
The MP outlined a series of specific actions she intends to take following the meeting.
These include writing to government ministers to question why odour issues are not treated as a regulated function, and why they are not included in Environment Agency reporting on river spills.
She said she would also seek answers on why Tiverton residents were not consulted about changes that may have affected air quality and the local environment.
Ms Gilmour added she plans to raise concerns about infrastructure, including whether pipes at the site are adequate.
She said: “How can we have to such an extent that nobody knows if the pipes are large enough to do the jobs they are supposed to?”
Further correspondence will be sent to the Environment Agency regarding the classification of the smell as a potential environmental health issue, and to ministers including Emma Hardy.
The MP also said she would challenge South West Water over rising bills.
She said she would write “to justify the increase in water bills given all the above”.
Additional requests include a breakdown of the contents of sewage sludge being processed at the Tiverton site, and improved communication with residents and businesses.
She said: “I think South West Water should be required to warn Mid Devon residents and particularly businesses if there is going to be an increase in smell which will impact your ability to make a living.”
Ms Gilmour also raised concerns about land maintenance responsibilities, including drainage, trees and hedges, and suggested further monitoring of practices such as lime dosing in rivers.
She said this could involve organisations including the Environment Agency and local groups such as the Rivers Trust.
As part of her proposed next steps, the MP said she would ask the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to commission an independent investigation.
She said: “I am going to write to Defra and outline all the problems we have here and get them to commission an independent report into what is going in our town.”
She also called on Mid Devon District Council, in its role as a planning authority, to seek clarity from South West Water over future capacity for new developments.
Finally, she urged people to report the smells and incidents to www.tivertonsmell.info.
