Businessman awarded over $.1m in sewer flooding case

A Petit Bourg businessman has secured a significant legal victory, being awarded more than $114,000 in damages, interest, and legal costs after suing the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

Matthew Edwards, who operates Sure Bros Enterprises, will receive a total of $114,747.81 following a High Court assessment of damages. This award covers the losses he incurred after a sewer overflow flooded his business premises on October 27, 2021. The court granted a 40-day stay of execution for the judgment.

The ruling follows a March 2025 decision by Justice Frank Seepersad, who found WASA responsible for the damages. The incident occurred when a collapsed underground sewer main caused raw sewage to back up into Edwards' store. The flooding resulted in damage to various merchandise, including electronics and gaming consoles. Edwards was compelled to close his business for 45 days while the sewage continued to flow until WASA finally repaired the damaged pipeline on December 10, 2021.

In his claim, Edwards argued that WASA neglected its duty to properly maintain its sewer infrastructure and was slow to respond to repeated reports of the problem. WASA acknowledged the overflow and the collapse of the aging infrastructure but denied negligence, asserting it had a sufficient system for inspecting and maintaining its network. Despite WASA's defense, Justice Seepersad ultimately determined the authority was liable, leading to the assessment of compensation by a High Court master. Edwards was represented by attorneys Javier Forrester and Kern Edwards, while Kirk Bengochea appeared for WASA.