Yorkshire Water forced to pay out £40m after ‘serious failures’ March 20, 2025 Yorkshire Water will have to pay out a £40m “enforcement package” to address a series of “serious failures” in its maintenance of sewage networks. The water supplier will pay out £36.6m over the next five years after the water watchdog Ofwat found repeated failures to properly invest in infrastructure. Environmentally sensitive areas will be targeted [...]
Thames Water says it has received six takeover offers March 18, 2025 Thames Water has said it has received six takeover offers and hopes to agree a deal by the end of June. The offers come in response to an equity raise process launched by the UK’s biggest water supplier last summer. Crisis-hit Thames Water has been battling to stave off nationalisation amid debts of more than [...]
Thames Water asks watchdog to let it charge even higher bills February 14, 2025 Thames Water is asking the competition regulator to allow it to charge customers even more over the coming years than had previously been granted. The company has already been allowed a 35 per cent rise in consumer bills over the next five years by water regulator Ofwat, after Thames had previously lobbied for a 59 per cent hike. Now, it wants [...]
Thames Water investigated over failure to finish 100 environmental schemes on time February 12, 2025 Thames Water is facing an investigation from the industry regulatory after failing to deliver more than 100 environmental improvement schemes on time. Ofwat said on Wednesday it had opened an enforcement case into the embattled utility to determine whether it had breached its obligations. Thames Water committed to deliver 812 schemes as part of the [...]
Water bills to rise by an average of £123 January 30, 2025 Households can expect their annual water bill to rise by an average of £123 from April, more than the amount announced by the regulator last month, the sector’s industry body has said. According to Water UK, the average bill in England and Wales will jump from £480 to £603 in the year from 1 April, [...]
United Utilities and Pennon to hike dividends in line with inflation as customer bills rise January 29, 2025 United Utilities and Pennon Group plan to increase dividends as consumers grapple with significant bill increases over the next five years. The water firms on Wednesday both said dividends would rise in line with inflation each year until 2030, following Ofwat’s final determination in December. The regulator’s ruling, which sets customers’ bills for the next [...]
Thames Water: Major upgrades mothballed despite dividend payouts December 23, 2024 Thames Water diverted millions of pounds it had pledged for environmental clean-ups towards funding bonuses and investor payouts. According to the Guardian, secret discussions were held to consider the risk of a public and regulatory backlash against such a move, which could be seen as a breach of the company’s license commitments and leave it [...]
Household water bills to rise by an average £31 a year from April December 19, 2024 Household water bills in England and Wales will increase by an average £31 a year over the next five years, regulator Ofwat has announced.
Thames Water allowed 35 per cent bill hike but faces £18m fine over dividend payouts December 19, 2024 Ofwat will use new powers to fine Thames Water £18m for two dividend payments it made in the last year and a half.
Water bills set for hefty hike as Ofwat judgement looms December 18, 2024 The water regulator Ofwat is set to allow bills to rise by at least 21 per cent in the next five years, as part of its long-awaited decision on the financial future of the scandal-hit industry on Thursday. Ofwat will reveal its final determination for how much water firms are allowed to hike their bills [...]