South West Water says it has prevented pollution incidents

It is the second year running that South West Water (SWW) has topped the list compiled by the Environment Agency.

It was prosecuted nine times in 2003, sharing the top spot with Southern Water.

SWW said, despite the prosecutions, it still had a good environmental record and it was always disappointed when systems failures occurred which caused pollution.

It is disappointing when failures do occur Bob Baty, South West Water

The nine prosecutions are a decrease in the number of court appearances it had 2002, when it topped the table with 14 convictions .

Environmental pressure group Surfers Against Sewage said it was "woefully disappointed" with SWW's performance.

South West Water Chief Executive Bob Baty, said: "There's a 40% improvement, but I think we need to get this into perspective.

"We have 2,500 locations, such as beaches and rivers, where we are at risk of a pollution event occurring.

"Yet we have the best bathing waters in the country, we have the highest quality of river water in England and we have a very good environmental record."

SWW has the highest water bills in the country, but Mr Baty said: "The bills come from the mammoth investment improving what were formerly crude discharges into the environment around the coastline where we've spent �1.5bn.

"It is disappointing when failures do occur, but we have prevented some 250 crude discharges into the ocean taking place over the last 15 years."