Owner of firm fined for sewage dumping buys Sutton and East Surrey Water

South West Water was fined for illegally dumping sewage into rivers and seas in Devon and Cornwall. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian

The owner of South West Water, one of the UK utility firms fined for illegal sewage dumping last year, has bought Sutton and East Surrey (SES) Water in a deal worth £380m.

Pennon, which also owns Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water, has confirmed the acquisition of the supplier, which has 745,000 customers across parts of Kent, Sussex, Surrey and south London.