Flood-Hit Sandown Resident Hits Out At Southern Water Over Recycling Project

“They don’t bother with us – all they see is money”, a flood-hit Islander has claimed about Southern Water at an Isle of Wight public meeting.

Perry Clifton, resident of Riverview Court in Sandown, spoke out about his experiences with the utility company at Sandown Town Council’s (STC) planning committee this week (Monday, August 10).

On Southern Water’s Sandown Water Recycling Project, which is currently awaiting an Isle of Wight Council decision, he claimed there is a ‘total lack of consultation’ and consideration for businesses in the area as well as the ‘environment we already live in’.

“They don’t bother with us – all they see is money,” Mr Clifton said. “I could read out to you the wage packets some of these men and women are on and it’d make your blood boil.”

Southern Water has said no external dividends have been paid to shareholders since 2017.

Ben Ring, major projects director at Southern Water, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the ‘essential project’ is part of a series of schemes that will create new drought-proof sources of water.

He added that these new sources will help protect Hampshire’s chalk streams, maintain supplies for customers and provide ‘greater resilience’ for the Island.

Mr Clifton told the Sandown meeting: “I live in Riverview Court…we got flooded out as you know in February at cost to us, the council taxpayers – we had to be evacuated for two days. Southern Water have not come back to us.

“You never have a response back.”

The utility claims it has engaged with Mr Clifton.

Riverview Court, which is not owned by Southern Water, sits next to the company’s Sandown Water Treatment Works.

Turning to the Recycling Project, Mr Clifton said he was ‘hugely worried’ and ‘concerned’.

“If they do these works, I will be looking for them to rehouse me,” he continued. “Because I have no confidence whatsoever in their project design.”

He said that over the last two weeks where he lives, ongoing renovations have been carried out at the Southern Water Works which he claimed were meant to finish in May.

Mr Clifton said he had been subjected to noise pollution at around 1am in the morning and added that he had tried to contact Southern Water.

“I’m on the point of going up there and loudly speaking to the site manager,” he said.

Southern Water said it is investigating whether complaints have been made about noise.

Sandown mayor Alex Lightfoot said he could not disagree with much of what Mr Clifton said and added that STC had already objected to the first Water Recycling Project application.

Mr Ring told the LDRS: “The project has been many years in the making. Submitting the planning application to the Isle of Wight Council is a significant milestone for Southern Water and also for the UK.”

Southern Water said that prior to lodging the proposal, it carried out a public consultation between January and March 2025, engaging with residents, businesses, councillors and community groups.

Feedback received helped ‘shape and refine’ proposals, and the company remains committed to engaging with the local community as the project progresses, it said.

Southern Water previously told of how advanced treatment techniques will be used to turn treated wastewater into 10.8 million litres of purified recycled water a day which would be released into the Eastern River Yar.

Water taken from the river downstream would be treated again at Sandown Water Supply Works to produce up to 8.5 million litres of drinking water a day, according to the utility.