Water firm Anglian to pay out £68m after breach of regulations July 29, 2025 Anglian Water is set to pay a £68.2m ‘redress package’ to improve the quality of its waste management after an investigation by the UK’s water watchdog found it had breached regulations. Ofwat found that Anglian Water had “fail[ed] to operate and maintain its wastewater assets adequately”, and that it was “systemically breaching” its duty to [...]
Will Labour be our sewage saviour or find themselves up the creek? July 23, 2025 Water companies need flexibility and lower compliance costs, not overzealous regulation that will drive private investment away, says Kitty Thompson Sewage has dominated the environmental conversation for years. Responding to public pressure, successive governments have lumbered water companies with more and more regulatory burdens in an attempt to show that they are tackling the issue. [...]
Environment secretary: Labour’s water revolution will give investors certainty July 22, 2025 Abolishing Ofwat and streamlining water regulation will give the sector the clarity and accountability it needs to attract private investment, says environment secretary Steve Reed Today is the start of a water revolution. When I came into office a year ago, it was immediately clear our water system needed a complete reset. There were high [...]
Ofwat to be scrapped in sweeping water reforms July 21, 2025 Ofwat is set to be abolished and replaced by a “single, powerful regulator” aimed at cutting water pollution and protecting families from higher bills, the government has revealed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said operations conducted in England by Ofwat will be merged with the Environment Agency, Natural England and [...]
Environment Secretary pledges to halve sewage pollution by 2030 July 19, 2025 The Environment Secretary has pledged to cut sewage pollution from water companies in half by 2030 compared to 2024 levels. Steve Reed will announce the target as he speaks to the media on Sunday morning. The government said it marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on reducing sewage pollution to which [...]
Ofwat to be replaced with ‘new regulator’ amid Thames Water crisis July 18, 2025 Ofwat, the water watchdog, is expected to be abolished and replaced by a new body next week after facing intense scrutiny over sewage firms and the poor performance of major companies including Thames Water, according to reports. A consultation on the creation of a new regulator is expected to be announced next week after results [...]
Regulators ‘appear unable’ to stop water firms acting unlawfully, MPs warn July 18, 2025 A group of influential MPs have called for a “low risk, low return” water sector and urged the government to strengthen regulatory powers amid scrutiny over excessive dividends and murky company structures. In a wide-reaching report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned that the “financial fragility” of a few large utilities had caused investors to [...]
South West Water to pay £24m to avoid fine from Ofwat over leaks July 10, 2025 South West Water is to invest £24m into its network and local environment to avoid being fined by the industry regulator after a failure to manage its wastewater network led to unnecessary leaks. Ofwat said the utility had “failed to build” and operate its wastewater treatment works and sewer network to “ensure they performed sufficiently.” [...]
Thames Water bosses face fresh grilling from MPs over bonus row July 9, 2025 Thames Water bosses have been hauled back in front of MPs after accusations of a “lack of transparency” surrounding bonuses carved out of an emergency loan. The crisis-hit utility has refused to take back nearly £2.5m it paid to a host of senior managers from the £3bn lifeline provided by creditors earlier this year. Some [...]
Macquarie to inject £1.2bn into struggling Southern Water July 1, 2025 Macquarie is to invest £1.2bn into the struggling utility Southern Water in a move that could prevent a possible breach of its regulatory license. The new equity investment plan will enable Southern, which supplies water to 2.6m customers in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to fund its Ofwat-approved investment programme for the [...]