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Water Resources

Dry Spring And Record-Breaking Heat Begin To Bite - The benefits of an exceptionally wet winter are already being eroded in certain parts of the country by a dry spring and unprecedented heat. The multi-stakeholder National Drought Group has met to review the water resources situation.

Last week, many parts of the country sweltered under red or amber heatwave warnings. Water UK reported 2bn extra litres of water were used across England and Wales. Water companies issued water efficiency communications, ran treatment works at maximum capacity and increased leakage activities. South East Water imposed a hosepipe ban in Kent, enforceable from 3 July.

The broader picture is more positive. The National Drought Group reported reservoir storage was 88.6%, with chalk groundwater levels generally normal. River flows were decreasing but around two-thirds were still around normal for this time of the year.

However, Spring witnessed a marked north-south divide, with northern England receiving 90% of average rainfall in recent months compared to just 50% in southern England. Parts of the East Anglia region (Cam & Ely Ouse, North-West Norfolk and North Norfolk catchments) were set to move into prolonged dry weather, while Devon and Cornwall were on a watchlist to also enter prolonged dry weather later in the summer. 

• The Planning Inspectorate has confirmed that Southern Water’s Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project has been accepted for examination as part of the Development Consent Order process.

Ownership

Burnham Victory Ups Likelihood Of Thames Water Heading To Special Administration - Andy Burnham’s success in the Makerfield by-election has led to renewed speculation that Thames Water will end up in special administration.

The Labour leadership hopeful has previously said Thames should be placed in public ownership – and that greater public control would benefit the whole industry.

Adding fuel to this fire was environment secretary Emma Reynolds’ intervention in the Thames situation. In a letter to Ofwat chair Iain Coucher, she said the ‘best and final’ offer from London and Valley Water consortium – a group of investors, including existing senior creditors, which is pushing for a market-based solution for the troubled water company – demanded too much of water customers in terms of bill impacts, reduced performance standards and investment deferrals.

The final decision rests with Ofwat. But approval of the creditors’ financing proposals during leadership instability seems unlikely.

Water Efficiency

Seven Win Water Efficiency Lab Funds - Seven projects have succeeded in securing a share of £5.2m, as the winners of the inaugural Water Efficiency Lab competition. This is a new Ofwat innovation fund, focused on supporting water efficiency.

The projects were:

• 50L Home England Pilot: make sustainable living irresistible

• Helping homes save water outdoors with smart meter data, behavioural insights and targeted advice

• Laundry Behaviours Lab: identifying the motivations that make laundry naturally more water efficient

• MyWaterGPT: get insights and control your water use easily at any time using a simple chat tool

• The WIN Initiative: enabling non-household water reduction through an innovative action-driven Water-Insurance Nexus

• Water Warriors: actionable insights to future customers

• Workplace Water Wins: an insights-led approach to more water efficient business behaviours

Four more rounds will follow over the rest of AMP8, with £25m in total available in the pot.

The news came ahead of the public launch on Tuesday 30 June of a new £75m Water Efficiency Campaign, which is part of the same Ofwat initiative.

Ofwat Announces Wholesale Charge Changes To Promote Water Efficiency - Following a wide ranging consultation in August 2025, in which Ofwat proposed a range of options for altering its Wholesale Charging Rules to promote water efficiency in wholesale tariffs, the regulator has settled on modest adjustments only.

It will not, at present, mandate any particular charging structure beyond supporting Defra’s decision to phase out falling block tariffs by 2030. Instead it is consulting until 30 July on modest changes that will enable water companies to trial different tariffs:

• Amending rule 15 to clarify that long run costs include those associated with addressing water scarcity.

•  Amending rule 16  to allow differences in charging to be based on incentives to promote water efficiency and the associated environmental and wider societal benefits.

This will give effect to its May 2026 decisions, which reflected the fact that responses to the consultation highlighted the complexity of making changes in this space, and the need to proceed on an evidenced basis.  

Enforcement

DWI Publishes Brixham Crypto Investigation - The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has now published its full investigation report into the Cryptosporidium outbreak in the Brixham area of Devon in May 2024. Earlier this month, the DWI announced a record £1.8m fine for South West Water for these failures

UU To Pay £500,000 To Mersey Rivers Trust - The Environment Agency has agreed a £517,000 enforcement undertaking from United Utilities after three permit breaches in 2022 led to a substantial amount of sewage being discharged into the River Tame. The money will be used by the Mersey Rivers Trust to improve the environmental health of rivers in the region. The company has also agreed to reimburse all investigation costs.

Regulation

Unison Demands Consultation On The Plan To Fragment The Environment Agency   - Trade union Unison has challenged a number of provisions of the Water White Paper. Most significantly, it passed a motion opposing the break-up of the Environment Agency and said there was no clarity whether the proposed changes “will affect 400 or 4,000 jobs”. It said recognised trade unions must be consulted and its members’ employment protected.

UKRN Pursues Further Consistency On Cost Of Capital - The UK Regulators Network (UKRN) is updating its March 2023 guidance on setting the methodology on cost of capital. The cross-sector watchdogs’ group said there is scope to align sectoral practices further to achieve greater consistency and reduced uncertainty around price control outcomes. It set out nine recommendations.  Areas of increased alignment included choosing a data cut-off no further back than six months from the publication of final determinations to derive estimates for the risk-free rate and equity beta.

Utility Regulator Consults On 2027/28 Allowances For NI Water - Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator (UR) is consulting until 24 July on Northern Ireland Water’s 2027/28 allowed revenue and price limits. This is an extension year to the original price control (PC21) timetable of 2021-2027, to allow more time to prepare the next full review.

UR said its proposals were “primarily based on a roll-forward of the allowance set for the original final year of PC21 (2026/2027)” to keep things as simple as possible. However, it has agreed NI Water's request for a change to cover payments on its capital financing, reflecting interest rate and inflation data.

The consultation puts forward total allowed revenue of £693m (nominal) for the 2027/2028 year, and an overall price limit K adjustment factor of 3.4% in real terms (before inflation).

Pollution

Clean Water Bill Needs To Address Flame Retardant Pollution - Research from The Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link has found toxic Chemical Flame Retardants (CFRs) in most English rivers, and at unsafe levels in all wildlife samples scrutinised. The groups also warned that major monitoring gaps may be masking the true scale of pollution. The Rivers Trust and WCL pointed out that the UK accounts for 25% of global CFR use, yet it remains behind the EU and other countries in regulating these hazardous chemicals. They called for action in the Clean Water Bill.

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Ownership

Andy Burnham Endorses Public Ownership Of Thames Water - Andy Burnham has indicated that, should he become Labour leader and prime minister, he would seek to impose stronger public control over water, energy and transport, using a pragmatic approach.

In an interview with the BBC’s Newsnight, he indicated that the government could step in using a “spectrum of interventions” – from tougher regulation to full public ownership – depending on the situation. “I’ve not used the word nationalisation because that allows a more pragmatic approach, because it’s not the same with all of these services in all parts of the country.”

Singling out Thames Water, given its “multiple regulatory breach,” Burnham said there is “an overwhelming case for public ownership”. He cited its ongoing financial crisis paired with what he defined as its continuing payment of dividends and asked, “how can that possibly be right?”.

Burnham also criticised the private ownership model as a whole, arguing: “There’s a situation in the water industry where the shareholders never lose, and the bill-payers never win.”

Meanwhile, pressure seems to be mounting from Labour backbenchers in support of public ownership. Water minister Emma Hardy had to repeatedly set out the Government’s position on water ownership in Parliament last week during an Urgent Question on the performance of the water sector . Hardy cited the cost of nationalisation as a key reason for the Government’s position, which is to consider other models but stop short of full public control. Thames Water was in the eye of the storm, with MPs calling for it to be put into special administration.

But in a separate Urgent Question in Parliament following supply outages in Kent over the late May bank holiday, a number of MPs called for South East Water to be taken into public ownership. This was the third set of serious outages since Christmas. Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham and Chislehurst, said: “There must come a time when we say to them, 'Enough is enough,’ and take control of them for the public good.”

Joint research published by Ofwat and the Consumer Council for Water on the experience of South East Water customers who suffered extensive disruption to their water supply last winter painted a "damning picture of the company’s response and the scale of the impact on affected customers, including serious issues with communication, bottled water provision and support for vulnerable customers,” CCW said. Fewer than one in ten affected customers were satisfied with how SEW handled the incidents.

Infrastructure

RAPID Consults On Taking On More Than Strategic Water Resource Schemes - The Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) will oversee more than strategic water resource schemes under plans out for consultation .

RAPID’s success has been recognised, with both the Independent Water Commission and Water White Paper recommending it expand its role.

Under the plans, which are out for consultation until 21 July, RAPID would also work on large scale wastewater schemes,  industrial / data centre growth hubs and major sustainable drainage ventures.

The consultation set out proposals across four areas: 

• Defining the role of RAPID in providing national coordination, and how this would complement regional systems planning.

• Considering how RAPID can improve regulatory coordination to accelerate delivery of major water infrastructure.

• Defining the criteria for projects entering the RAPID programme and considering the thresholds which should trigger RAPID involvement.

• Establishing RAPID’s scope and remit including wastewater and strategically important projects which do not currently have RAPID oversight. 

Defra Sets Out Biodiversity Expectations For Major Water Projects   - Defra has published policy papers which set out the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements for water and wastewater Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. These cover how BNG must be calculated, delivered and reported on. BNG will become mandatory for NSIPs from 2 November 2026.

Penalties

Two Water Companies Hit With Bumper Fines - South West Water (SWW) has been fined £1.8m – a record for a drinking water offence – following prosecution by the Drinking Water Inspectorate over the 2024 cryptosporidium incident in Brixham, Devon.

Exeter Magistrates Court heard that there were 537 probable or confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis, with at least ten people admitted to hospital. The incident affected up to 16,000 homes and businesses and led to boil water notices being put in place for up to 54 days for some properties.  

Separately, Ofwat confirmed a £44m enforcement order against Welsh Water, for breach of legal obligations to adequately maintain and upgrade its wastewater network and treatment plants.

Regulation

Regulation For Growth Gets Mixed Reviews - There has been conflicting evidence over the past fortnight on the role regulation plays in supporting growth.

Defra reported that environmental regulators are now meeting or exceeding key planning timeliness targets – giving developers greater certainty and helping infrastructure projects move faster. Provisional results showed that in 2025/26, the Environment Agency responded to 98% of planning consultations on time (up from 88%), while Natural England handled 95% of major infrastructure applications within agreed timescales.

The Government is also continuing to roll out the Lead Environmental Regulator model – “replacing a merry-go round of overlapping bodies with a single coordinating regulator for major projects to cut duplication and speed up approvals”.

The news was issued as mayors from across the country met with the prime minister to discuss maximising the opportunities of devolution to build more homes, infrastructure and transport links.

However in a separate development, a cross-sector report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Regulating for growth , argued that regulatory uncertainty adds to costs and delays for business through unpredictable timelines, unclear interpretations of rules and opaque enforcement thresholds. It highlighted that in areas such as environmental regulation, businesses have to navigate between different regulators, which can result in delays, inconsistencies, and gaps in oversight.

The report was also highly critical of the Government’s definition of economic growth, arguing this “amounts to an ambiguous objective, the success of which is impossible to measure, given a lack of clarity about what growth it is seeking to deliver and when”.

The PAC made a series of recommendations to HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade.

Ofwat Sets Out Its Stall On AI - Ofwat has published a document setting out its initial regulatory approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption for the water sector. This offers clarity now, to support innovation and contribute to growth, and provides foundations for the new regulators in England and Wales to build on. Ofwat noted the document also marked the beginning of a more formal process to work more closely with water companies, other regulators and the wider sector to build a regulatory framework for AI.

People

Sir Jon Cunliffe, Andy Mitchell And Marcus Rink Honoured In King’s Birthday List - Among the recipients of the latest Honours from King Charles were:

• Sir Jon Cunliffe, who was awarded a Knight Grand Cross for public service in chairing the Independent Water Commission.

• Andy Mitchell, former chief executive of Tideway, who was knighted for services to the construction industry.

• Marcus Rink, chief inspector for drinking water, who received an OBE for services to water quality.

EA Chair To Stand Down - Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell will stand down at the end of December, following an extended time in post since September 2022. Defra will recruit a successor over the summer.

Customers

NAO Calls On Regulators To Do More As Consumer Utility Debt Tops £7bn - The National Audit Office (NAO) has called on Ofwat, Ofgem and Ofcom to do more for vulnerable customers, given consumer debt levels are high and many remain unaware that help is available.

In a report, Regulating water, energy and broadband to protect consumers in vulnerable circumstances , the NAO recognised progress made since 2019, the last time it scrutinised this issue, but said more needs to be done. Water and energy debt now stands at over £7bn, and in water, only 39% of customers who struggle to pay are aware of help schemes – meaning millions are missing out on support.

The NAO recommended regulators:

• Improve access to support – to make it easier for people to contact providers through a range of accessible channels that meet the diversity of consumer needs.

• Increase awareness of available help – such as social tariffs, repayment plans and other support schemes, so eligible consumers are clearly signposted and not missing out.

• Tackle industry drivers of rising debt – including addressing industry practices such as inaccurate billing, delays when people move home and barriers that prevent consumers from switching tariffs.

• Strengthen support for consumers in vulnerable circumstances – promoting services that are designed around need, improving how consumers are identified and supported, and making better use of data and data-sharing across sectors.

NAO Finds CCW Should Not Have Operated Adjudication Services - The NAO has found the Consumer Council for Water’s provision of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services through its subsidiary CCW Trading Company was “not in line with its legal powers”.

These mediation and adjudication services were operated on a non-profit basis, with all costs incurred recharged to water companies who subscribed to ADR on a voluntary basis. However, the NAO said the consumer watchdog had no legal basis to charge water companies for these services. Nor did it seek Treasury clearance for the venture: “The CCW did not seek prior consent from HM Treasury to commence the delivery of the ADR scheme or to incorporate CCW Trading Company.”

In May, Water UK appointed a different ADR provider, Dispute Resolution Ombudsman, after Defra instructed it in April to stop using the CCW provision.

The resolution of the matter enabled CCW’s long-delayed annual report and accounts for 2023/24 and 2024/25 to be published.

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Drought

Two Committees Warn Of Peril From Drought - The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has urged the Government to act to prevent taps running dry in future, given pressures from climate change, population growth, leakage and demand from water intensive industries. In a new report, Surviving drought: reclaim the rain , peers argued the UK is not short of rain— but said we must store, manage and reuse it much more effectively.

The report urged the Government to:

• Understand the problem through better impact data, drought monitoring and conducting a full environmental and economic assessment of drought to weigh the cost of inaction against the value of resilience.

• Balance supply and demand by driving a whole of society approach to drought, including through awareness raising campaigns, improving water efficiency standards in homes, and promoting water reuse and rainwater harvesting.

• Improve drought resilience for sectors reliant on abstraction by prioritising regulatory changes to make the construction of local resource reservoirs easier for users like farms and golf courses, and by increasing the flexibility of abstraction licensing.

• Strengthen drought planning and response by publishing a prioritisation plan for an emergency drought by no later than autumn 2026 and rolling out nature-based solutions more widely in urban and rural settings.

Separately, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published A Well-Adapted UK – a new report setting out a package of actions needed to address the growing impacts of climate change. The key issues concerned coping with drought, flood and heat.

Among the areas for action identified were: investment in cooling, including by setting a national maximum temperature for workplaces to protect workers’ safety and incentivise the deployment of cooling solutions; investing in flood defences; and scaling up action to store water, accelerate leakage reduction and cut demand.

In related news, South East Water is consulting on its draft Drought Plan for 2027-32, until 6 August, and Portsmouth Water has issued its draft Drought Plan for consultation, until 14 August. Both include lessons learnt from the droughts in 2022 and 2025, take new laws to protect the environment into account, and include more actions to delay moving to emergency restrictions in a very severe drought.

Water Resources

Grundfos Calls On Government To Act On Digital Sustainability - Grundfos has warned that without urgent reforms, the UK's digital and growth ambitions risk being stifled by water scarcity. A new report, Scale and secure: powering Europe's digital sovereignty , contended that sustainable water and energy management are not adequately addressed by current UK policy. 

It called on Westminster to:

• Embed Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) alongside Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) in all planning, permitting, and reporting frameworks.

• Introduce quarterly public disclosure of PUE, WUE, water source and heat reuse, with independent verification, to drive accountability and best practice for data centres.

• Tie planning approvals and financial incentives directly to verified performance thresholds for highly efficient cooling technologies, promoting closed-loop systems and non-potable water use.

• Provide targeted financial incentives for high-efficiency pumping, water reuse and heat recovery solutions, particularly for retrofitting existing Critical National Infrastructure facilities.

• Actively facilitate the integration of data centre excess heat into district heating networks and accelerate the development of ‘purple pipe’ reclaimed water infrastructure.

RAPID Approves Slight Delay For Southern Water Hampshire SRO - RAPID has approved Southern Water’s request for a slight delay to the submission date for its Gate 4 application for the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project. The company will now submit in July rather than May, to enable further refinement of the project to minimise consenting risk ahead of its application for a Development Consent Order. Relatedly, Ofwat has published the next batch of guidance for its new Major Projects Programme. This deals with procurement and Gate D submission and assessment.

EA Issues Position Statement On NBS For Water Resources - The Environment Agency has published a position statement on using nature-based solutions (NBS) to support sustainable water resources – for instance, improvements to soil to promote retention of water, or constructing run-off attenuation features such as swales. The Agency said it supports such actions as an enhancement to, rather than replacement for, actions based on abstraction reduction. It said NBS may be beneficial in reducing the quantity of some future sustainability reductions and in increasing the resilience of environmentally sensitive catchments whilst strategic water resource solutions are being implemented.

Asset Management

Ofwat Consults On Asset Management Licence Condition - Ofwat is consulting until 17 July on introducing a new licence condition under section 12A of the Water Industry Act 1991 to set clear expectations on asset management standards and to require evidence to prove these are being met. It said that evidence will take the form of an ISO certification or a qualified independent third‑party assessment.

Under the proposals, companies must:

• Understand their assets (condition, criticality and performance).

• Understand the asset related risks to service and the environment. • Develop and deliver mature, well justified business plans to fund maintenance and enhancement of their assets.

• Deliver the right outcomes, from short term serviceability to long term requirements (including the impact of climate change on assets).

Ofwat will run another sector-wide Asset Management Maturity Assessment (AMMA)

this year. Early insights are expected from this in early 2027, with the licence condition due to come into force in 2028.

Finance

Moody’s Downgrade Puts South East Water In Licence Breach - Moody’s has downgraded the backed and underlying senior secured ratings of South East Water’s financing subsidiary South East Water (Finance) to Ba1 from Baa3. Moody’s concurrently assigned a Ba1 Corporate Family Rating and Ba2-PD probability of default rating to South East Water. The outlook for both entities is negative.

Moody’s explained the principal driver of the action was the fallout from high profile outages in December 2025 and January 2026, plus the risk of further supply problems. The company last week battled outages and low pressure in various parts of its network as the hot weather caused demand to soar, depleting its stored water.

The downgrade put South East Water in breach of licence condition P26 – under which it is required to maintain two investment grade credit ratings. The company said in a statement that its board is “constructively engaging with Ofwat…to agree certain commitments that will secure a return to compliance”. It added that these commitments will be communicated once agreed with the regulator.

Infrastructure

Ofwat Issues New Guidance On Alternative Delivery Routes For Major Projects - Ofwat is consulting until 21 July on draft guidance for projects being delivered under the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 (SIPR). The guidance covered the regulatory framework, commercial arrangements, the approvals and assurance process and value for money, and provided an indicative model for efficient risk allocation for SIPR projects – although Ofwat stressed this was a starting point for project-specific discussions, not a prescriptive allocation of risk. Ofwat has also published updated guidance on Direct Procurement for Customers arrangements . Ofwat is hosting a webinar for investors and supply chain participants on 16 June at 14:15 on both sets of guidance.

Treasury To Restrict Judicial Review Challenges For Critical Infrastructure - A HM Treasury policy paper, Getting Britain building: reforming judicial review for infrastructure , seeks to protect prospective major infrastructure from long drawn out legal challenge. Clean energy projects were designated as of ‘Critical National Importance’ and protected from exposure to judicial review on all but human rights grounds. For all other nationally significant infrastructure – including transport and water projects – the government will introduce a fixed legal challenge window.

Innovation

Nineteen Win Round 6 Innovation Funding - Nineteen projects have won a share of £58m in Ofwat’s sixth Water Breakthrough Challenge competition . Among the successful bids were schemes exploring water-purifying mushrooms, 3D printed infrastructure and AI-enabled microphones to monitor river life. Each project sees water companies work in collaboration with a diverse set of partners – from environmental charities and leading universities to technology and engineering companies – with the purpose of changing how the water sector operates to transform its impact for customers, communities and the environment.

Environment

SuDS Take A Step Forward With New Package Investment Model - The Environment Agency has published guidance on the Surface Water Investment Model (SWIM) approach – a new way of accounting for the total benefits achieved by a package of small sustainable drainage (SuDS) measures, by appraising them as a single intervention. The EA said the approach will enable funding approval to be front-loaded over a longer period and across multiple financial years. The guidance should make it easier for parties to make a business case for packages of SuDS measures, where this is large enough to realise a meaningful reduction in surface water flood risk and serve as a tool for resilience.

OEP Secures New Chair - Dame Helen Ghosh has been formally appointed as chair of the Office for Environmental Protection and will took up post on 1 June.

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Legislation

2026/27 Legislative Programme Features A Clean Water Bill - The King’s Speech last week included provision for a Clean Water Bill to reform the water industry. The Bill is expected to give effect to the policy identified by Defra in January’s Water White Paper, which in turn took multiple recommendations from the Independent Water Commission on water sector planning, governance and regulation. This includes the headline policy to create a single integrated water regulator.  Campaigners have urged that the legislation be progressed with urgency and said it needs to delivers meaningful change.

Drinking Water

DWI Approves NSF Lab To Provide Reg 31 Testing - The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has designated the NSF laboratory in Oakdale, Wales, to undertake full Regulation 31 product testing for all products that come into contact with drinking water. NSF is a global company which tests, audits and certificates a wide range of products and services.  The NSF Oakdale facility will ease pressure and frustration linked to the long absence of a domestic laboratory accredited for Reg 31 certification.  However, alone it will not meet the capacity for all products awaiting testing at this time. The DWI said it will continue to work to foster a more competitive market.

PR24

Ofwat Seeks Transparency On AMP8 Delivery Through New Reporting Framework - Ofwat is to scrutinise each water company’s AMP8 delivery progress against its delivery plan, and publish what it finds. The regulator is consulting until 18 June on a monitoring and assessment framework , which will bring transparency and visibility of delivery risk, in light of the unprecedented levels of AMP8 investment. The framework will show when companies plan to carry out work and spend money across the five-year period. It will use delivery plan metrics to identify delivery risk early, and how companies are addressing any risk. This will both bring accountability and enable intervention if needed, which Ofwat said could range from more frequent reporting to enforcement action. The final framework will be published in summer, with Ofwat’s first view of delivery progress and emerging risks expected in the autumn.

Ofwat Simplifies Gated Allowance Access For Thames - Ofwat has published guidance rationalising the process for Thames Water to access its PR24 gated allowance for asset health improvement. Ofwat will combine gates 2 and 3, and replace gates 4 and 5 with a Price Control Deliverable, delivery plan reporting and quarterly meetings. The changes are in line with Independent Water Commission recommendations for simpler and more proportionate regulation

Water Resources

Affinity Water Calls For A National Water Security Strategy - Affinity Water has released a new major policy report – Running dry: England’s water security crisis – which warns that the UK lacks a credible national water security strategy. It defines water security as having enough clean water to meet the needs of homes, businesses, farms and the natural environment, not just today but for decades to come. A country loses water security when demand from a growing population and new industry starts to outstrip what rivers, reservoirs and underground sources can sustainably supply.

Among the issues cited by Affinity Water are that the current water resource planning framework does not take account of the needs of sectors such as data centres and some industrial users; and that demand reduction assumptions are not grounded in sound evidence and are dependent on yet-to-materialise policy mechanisms, such as water labelling and tighter building regulations.

The report puts forward seven recommendations, including: the creation of a National Water Security Strategy with binding commitments and clear accountability; a requirement for progressive water charging and mandatory efficiency improvements for large non-household users such as data centres; and the integration of water availability into the planning system.

Regulators Clear White Horse Reservoir To Proceed To Planning - The Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) – a collaboration of watchdogs – has given the green light for Thames Water’s White Horse Reservoir (previously known as the Abingdon Reservoir or SESRO) to proceed to planning.

The scheme has cleared RAPID Gate 3, and been allowed £298m to continue work towards Gate 4, which will involve applying for a Development Consent Order later this year. The reservoir will hold 150m cubic metres of water, providing up to 271m litres of water supply per day for up to 15m customers across the Thames Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water areas by 2040.

Meanwhile, the regulator has given Wessex Water and South West Water draft agreement and funding to progress the Poole Water Recycling and Transfer solution to Gate C, and draft agreement and funding for the Cheddar 2 Reservoir and Transfer scheme to progress to a conditional review point in February 2028.

In related news, Ofwat has published guidance on the midpoint review for the second stage of the Major Water Infrastructure Programme, which comprises the 30 large schemes set out at PR24. The midpoint review is to ensure the project is on track for Gate B, and takes place in the middle of the Initial Development stage, somewhere between Gate A and Gate B.

Second South East Water Boss Resigns - South East Water’s chief executive David Hinton resigned after pressure for him to quit continued even after the company chair, Chris Train, stood down a week before. A series of recent outages in Tunbridge Wells, East Grinstead and other parts of Kent and Sussex have brought intense public and political criticism on the company. This was both for the interruptions to supply themselves, and for the way the company responded. Key challengers have been local MPs and members of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, which declared ‘no confidence’ in the company’s leaders on 1 May and welcomed the latest resignation . Hinton will stay on until a successor is found.

Resilience

South Staffs Fined For Major Cyber Breach - The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined South Staffordshire plc and South Staffordshire Water £963,900 following a serious cyber attack that resulted in the personal information of 633,887 people being extracted and published on the dark web. 

The ICO said it found significant failures in the company's approach to data security, and that this left customers and employees vulnerable for nearly two years. The attack began with a successful phishing email in September 2020 but the breach was not found until IT performance issues prompted an internal investigation in July 2022. The penalty level was reduced because of South Staffs’ admission of liability and  active engagement in resolving the problems.

Customers

CCW Tracks Trust Down - Water matters , the annual customer view tracker from the Consumer Council for Water, found that trust fell further in 2025-26. The overall trust score for England and Wales fell from 6.28 to 6.07 out of 10, in a range from 7.02 (Northumbrian Water) to 4.74 (Thames Water). More than a dozen firms saw their individual trust rating drop. CCW reported other negative trends too, including perceptions of bill fairness, bill affordability, communications effectiveness, and environmental satisfaction.  

New Provider Appointed For Escalated Complaints - The water industry’s trade body, Water UK, has appointed Dispute Resolution Ombudsman to provide alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services for household and business water customers in England and Wales.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) previously provided ADR via a third party, but as part of its water reform programme, Defra is shaking up the consumer landscape. January’s Water White Paper committed to stronger customer advocacy, and access for customers to legally binding resolutions to complaints via a “new, independent, impartial, strong, and accredited Water Ombudsman”.

Water UK said that on 24 April, Defra instructed CCW to stop providing ADR services – hence Water UK has appointed the new provider so customers can continue to access free services where their disputes have not been resolved by water companies or mediation. Dispute Resolution Ombudsman is independent and not-for-profit.

Regulation

Act Now On Growth, Lords Urge - In a new report from the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, peers urged the Government to give clear guidance to regulators on trade-offs between supporting economic growth and their other responsibilities, such as consumer and environmental protections. Time is money: how regulators can support growth , argued that a combination of unclear guidance from government, legislative restrictions and the need to balance growth with their other duties might result in regulators failing to meet the Government’s call for them to facilitate innovation and growth. The report contained a series of recommendations for Government and regulators. Chair of the Committee, Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town, said: “If growth is the Government’s priority, it must provide clarity to regulators about its expectation and the political coverage for them to be less risk averse. The time to act is now.”

Environment

A Baker’s Dozen Of New Bathing Waters - The Environment Agency has announced 13 new designated bathing sites have opened across the country, including London’s first site on the River Thames, at Ham and Kingston. There are now over 460 designated bathing waters in total, including some inland sites. The 2026 bathing water season started on 15 May.

Ofwat Announces Second Water Efficiency Lab Theme - Ofwat has announced that the second round of the Water Efficiency Lab competition will focus on reducing customer side leakage.This will open for entries on 3 August, with £5m available in total. The first round winners are due to be announced next month. The Water Efficiency Lab is part of the new Water Efficiency Fund. Alongside the Water Efficiency Campaign, the Lab seeks to drive sustainable change in water efficiency.

Board Appointments At Nature Watchdogs - Three members of the Environment Agency board have had their second terms extended by 18 months. Ines Faden da Silva, Stewart Davies, and Lilli Matson will each continue in post from 1 August 2026 until 31 January 2028.

Meanwhile, Defra has appointed Kate Gibson and Rachel Danemann to the Natural England board for three-year terms, both of which commenced on 1 May 2026 and will run until 30 April 2029. Gibson will also serve as deputy chair. Professor Lynn Dicks was reappointed for a second term at Natural England, until 28 April 2029. The appointments follow the recent or imminent departures of Peter Unwin, Kim Shillinglaw, Melanie Austen and Caroline Spelman.

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Governance

South East Water Chair Resigns After MPs’ Criticism Of Supply Outages - The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee declared “no confidence in the chief executive or board of South East Water (SEW) to address the company’s multiple and ongoing failures and protect residents from disruption” in a report published on Friday.

This followed two evidence sessions on the supply outages that troubled parts of Kent and Sussex in late 2025 and early 2026.

The report criticised SEW for: failure to monitor critical risks; failure to maintain assets; failure to invest in infrastructure resilience; failure to plan for incidents; failure to respond, communicate and deliver for vulnerable customers; and “group-think and obfuscation”.

EFRA Committee chair Alistair Carmichael warned that should neither executive nor non-executive directors take accountability, the Committee would look to shareholders to act.

However, SEW chair, Chris Train, resigned with immediate effect. Lisa Clement – currently an independent non-executive director and chair of the Audit and Risk Committee – is acting as interim chair until a successor is appointed.

The SEW board reiterated its support for the executive team led by chief executive David Hinton, “to continue accelerating targeted engineering works and make operational changes to improve the resilience of the supply network, increase water capacity and quality in high priority areas as part of a comprehensive, company-wide transformation plan”.

Lib Dems Present Bill To Review Special Administration Rules For Water   - Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron last week presented the Water Regulation (No. 2) Bill to Parliament. The Bill seeks to: “Require the secretary of state to undertake a review of the circumstances in which a special administration order may be made in respect of a water company; to make provision about the content and application of special administration orders; to make provision for the mutualisation of a water company in respect of which a special administration order has been made; to abolish the Water Services Regulation Authority; to establish a Clean Water Authority and to make provision about its powers and duties; to make provision about the collection and publication by water companies of data relating to volume flow; to require water companies to offer a social tariff; and for connected purposes.” Second Reading is scheduled for 8 May.

Regulation

Welsh Government Sets Out Initial Priorities For Ofwat On Reforming Water Regulation - The Welsh Government has published a new Strategic Priorities and Objectives Statement (SPS) for Ofwat, to supplement the existing 2022 SPS. This sets out how it expects Ofwat to support the delivery of water reform in Wales, while continuing to deliver its core functions for Welsh water regulation in the meantime.

The Welsh Government told Ofwat (and its successor body) to:

• Maintain effective regulation of companies based wholly or mainly in Wales as it simultaneously works with the UK Government on transitioning regulation in England.

• Support and facilitate the transition to a new economic regulator for water in Wales.

• Continue to carry out the functions of the independent economic regulator for water in Wales until such a point that these functions are taken on by the new Welsh economic regulator.

• Prepare effectively for PR29 for companies based wholly or manly in Wales, including by using a methodology which takes account of the reform agenda. This includes a simpler performance and incentives framework; clear long-term investment planning; and greater focus on capital maintenance and asset health.

The Welsh Government said transitioning to a new regulatory regime will take longer in Wales than in England. As such, it will issue a series of SPSs for Ofwat/the new regulator, to provide further clarity and guidance as change is progressed.

Defra Creates Role Of Ministerial Advisor On Water Reform - Defra has created the new position of senior advisor to the secretary of state on water reform transition – a 12 month role, with the option to extend for another 12 months. Key aspects of the role include providing strategic advice on the Transition Plan; convening cross-sector engagement in key issues including PR29; advising on future regulatory structures and the shape of future legislation; and potentially contributing to the shape and nature of the new regulator’s board.

Pollution

MPs Call For Non-Essential Use Ban On Forever Chemicals - The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has published a report, Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) , in which it urged the Government to restrict non-essential uses of PFAS as one of a serious of tough measures to tackle forever chemicals pollution.

The Government recently published a PFAS Plan, but the MPs criticised this as overly focused on monitoring rather than action.

Among the other recommendations in the EAC report were that Government must: assess newly developed PFAS before they are permitted for use; consult on mandatory PFAS disclosures across supply chains within six months; apply the polluter pays principle to prevent ongoing and historic PFAS contamination and consult by March 2027 on establishing a national PFAS Remediation Fund; support the development and deployment of PFAS remediation technologies by directing investment through UK Research and Innovation into research, innovation and practical support; and publish formally approved guidance for PFAS remediation.

Welsh Rivers Pollution Case Heads To Court - The High Court has started to hear a legal claim filed in Autumn 2025 against Welsh Water and industrial chicken producer Avara Foods and its subsidiary Freemans of Newent for polluting the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. The community action case, supported by clean water campaign group River Action, alleges that bacteria and nutrient pollution has resulted from sewage discharges and run off from farmland on which poultry manure has been spread. The companies reject the charges.

Southern Water Pleads Guilty To 2019-21 Pollutions - Southern Water pleaded guilty at Medway magistrates’ court to a series of pollution incidents across north Kent between 2019 and 2021. The Environment Agency charged Southern Water with five offences, all contrary to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. A date for sentencing is yet to be confirmed.

Finance

Reports Call For Fresh Thinking On Infrastructure Finance And Delivery - Law firm Freshfields and TheCityUK – the body representing UK-based financial and related professional services – have published Bridging the infrastructure funding gap: attracting private capital to deliver the UK infrastructure strategy and exporting innovative financing solutions .

This set out what needs to be done to attract infrastructure investors to the UK, to help plug the £345bn funding gap highlighted in the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy.

The report recommended:

• Delivering stable and predictable regulatory frameworks for major projects, which minimise unnecessary complexity and are developed early.

• Continuing targeted strategic government support to unlock nationally significant projects.

• Ensuring predictable long-term revenue streams, hedged against inflation.

• Providing clarity on ministerial responsibility and accountability for infrastructure and major project delivery.

The report also argued that the UK’s status as a global financial, legal and risk management hub provides the country with an opportunity to export its expertise globally.

In a separate report, engineering company Egis urged that with systemic pressures on infrastructure networks, these must be managed as long‑term systems, not as a series of isolated projects. From projects to programmes: how infrastructure can keep pace with a changing world identified five practical changes to support the shift: engaging communities earlier to shape infrastructure around real patterns of use; focusing on outcomes rather than assets; planning and delivering at system level; making better use of data and digital tools to guide long‑term decisions; and maximising the performance of existing assets through reuse and targeted upgrades.

Oxera Publishes Practical Solutions To Financing SDG6 - Oxera, in partnership with the UK Host Country Committee for the International Water Association World Water Congress in Glasgow in October, has published Bridging the water investment gap: a framework for delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 . This seeks to address the structural barriers preventing investment in water and sanitation services globally, by providing practical guidance for governments and potential investors. It is out for consultation and will be discussed at a special financing summit at the Glasgow World Water Congress before being finalised.

Growth

UU Secures Investor Support To Finance Extra Growth Spending - United Utilities has raised £800m from investors to help fund £2.5bn of additional proposed investment by 2030. The company has submitted an initial package of £1.4bn of growth-supporting investments to Ofwat, including:

• £220m for non-potable water supply to the Hynet clean energy cluster in Ellesmere Port.

• £200m for new water infrastructure to support proposed data centres in East Manchester.

• £350m for new wastewater treatment capacity at 34 sites to support 100,000 people, supporting Government housebuilding targets and existing communities.

• £410m to increase resilience of existing assets including upgrading boreholes and refurbishing water storage facilities.

   

Ofwat is expected to make a draft decision in August, with a final decision following in December.

Environment

MPs Approve Dame Helen Ghosh For OEP Chair - MPs have endorsed the appointment of Dame Helen Ghosh as chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). A pre-appointment hearing was held last week. They emphasised that she must build independence from government and improve relationships with farmers and environmental groups.

Water Resources

Ofwat Publishes Major Project Commercial Guidance - Ofwat has published a guidance document on the third stage of its new combined Major Projects Programme, dealing with ‘development and commercial’ issues and requirements for Gate C submission. The programme comprises the 30 large-scale water infrastructure projects set out at PR24.

South East Water To Pay £75k For Unlicensed Abstraction - South East Water will pay £75,000 in the form of a variable monetary penalty after it mistakenly abstracted 52m litres of water from an underground source near Tonbridge without permission for six weeks in May and June 2021. The Environment Agency said the company overlooked to renew its licence in March in error, as it was reliant on manual processes. SEW has since brought in an automated system that highlights when licences need renewal.

Asset Health

UKWIR Publishes Common Asset Health Framework - UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) has published the Common definition and calculation of asset health framework , providing a practical roadmap for how asset health should be defined, measured and used consistently. This supports policy in the Water White Paper. The work was conducted collaboratively between industry and regulator.

Performance

Utility Regulator Finds NI Water Has Performed On Water And Customer, But Fallen Short On Wastewater - Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) broadly met regulatory expectations for performance in consumer and water service provision but underperformed in wastewater in 2022-24. That’s according to the Utility Regulator, in its cost and performance review of the company over the two-year period. The regulator said NI Water met or exceeded 34 of the 43 key output measures set at PC21, the price control running 2021-27. The lagging outputs were mostly in wastewater. NI Water cited constraints to allowed capital expenditure in explanation.

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PR24

CMA Appeals: Full Redetermination Documents Now Available - The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now published its full final redeterminations for the PR24 appeals of Anglian Water, Wessex Water, Northumbrian Water, South East Water and Southern Water. Previously, only a summary document was available.

The CMA locked in a tougher final settlement than mooted in its October Provisional Determinations. Ofwat’s base allowances were cut, but this has been offset by a higher rate of return and enhancement increases.

Across the five companies, the CMA allowed additional revenue of £463m, equating to an average bill rise of 2.2% on top of the 24% Ofwat allowed. This is just 17% of the £2.7bn the companies sought, and was down from £556m (21%, equating to bill rises of 3%) in October’s provisional decision.

The CMA settled on an appointee CPIH-real weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of 4.20%, using market data up to 30 November 2025. This was 17bp higher than Ofwat’s Final Determination appointee CPIH-real WACC (4.03%), but 9bps lower than its its October provisional appointee CPI-real WACC (4.29%) which used market data up to 30 June 2025.

Regulation

MPs Doubt Defra On Regulatory Reform   - The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a damning report for Defra and its environmental regulators, which expresses scepticism about their ability to manage upcoming reform and deliver the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

Environmental regulation noted that Defra, the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England are changing the way they regulate in response to 149 recommendations from multiple independent reviews. But: “It is concerning that Defra does not yet have a clear vision for what the right regulatory system should be, what it is aiming to achieve through regulation and how it will do so.”

Among the series of recommendations from the PAC was that within six months of the report, Defra should publish a detailed plan which sets out how it intends to change the overall regulatory environment, how it is implementing the 149 recommendations, what assurance it has that regulators have the resources they need, and when the change will be completed. The plan should include a clear statement of what legislative change is needed and when.

EA Beats Inspection Target, As More Special Measures Powers Commence - The Environment Agency has reported beating its target to complete over 10,000 inspections of water company assets in the 2025/26 year.

It said this had uncovered over 3,000 permit condition breaches, leading to “real-world action with over 3,000 individual demands for improvement issued to water companies, including repairing sewage works and upgrading infrastructure”.

The watchdog observed: “Water company behaviour is beginning to shift. 22% of site visits uncovered at least one issue – down from 25% the previous year – indicating that more diligent scrutiny of water company assets is pushing companies to maintain their assets more responsibly.”

Separately, Ofwat issued a press notice to make it clear that two new powers it gained under the Water (Special Measures) Act had commenced on 1 April: the Fitness and Propriety Rule, which requires new water company executives to pass a fit and proper person test; and the Consumer Involvement in Decision Making Rule, which requires water companies to demonstrate customer views have informed any decisions that will impact them.

Water Resources

England Is Drought Free - Before Easter, East Anglia became the final area to move out of drought recovery, meaning all regions in England are now classed as in normal status.

This follows four months of above average rainfall. Reservoir levels across the country are at 95% which is above average for this time of year, and groundwater and river flows are normal.

The Environment Agency said “The risk of drought in 2026 is currently low but there remains the possibility of a flash drought – brought about by a sudden combination of very low rainfall and hot temperatures, like we experienced in 2022.”

Ofwat Details New Gated Process For Major Infrastructure - Ofwat has published an overview of the combined gated process it and RAPID will now use to oversee and support the Major Water Infrastructure Programme.

This consists of 30 large projects, either those in RAPID’s Strategic Resource Options programme, or projects meeting the criteria for Direct Procurement for Customers or the Specified Infrastructure Project Regulations competitive procurement.

There are now six gates, A-F, each associated with a decision that is required before the project can move on the next phase.

Ofwat also published a separate document providing detail on initial development and Gate B.

Ofwat Consults On Designating The White Horse Reservoir As A SIPR Project - Ofwat is consulting until 14 May on designating the White Horse Reservoir project being led by Thames Water as a Specified Infrastructure Project.

This would require Thames to obtain competitive bids from independent third parties to finance and deliver the project, except for work set out by Ofwat in a Preparatory Works Notice, which is also subject to consultation. Ofwat would then designate and licence the successful bidder as the Infrastructure Provider.

Growth

Water Smart Growth Board Created To Drive Sustainable Development   - A Water Smart Growth Board has been set up to support the delivery of sustainable development through better, more integrated water management across England.

Co-chaired by the government and developer Thakeham’s chief executive Rob Boughton, the board brings together senior leaders from government, the housing sector, water industry, regulators, environmental bodies, academia and practitioners to drive ‘water smart’ development: resilient, water‑efficient and supported by the right infrastructure and water management solutions that work for housing delivery, people and nature.

Wastewater

Storm Discharges Drop By A Third In 2025 - The Environment Agency has published 2025 Event Duration Monitoring returns showing storm discharge numbers down by 35% to 291,492 in 2025 compared to 2024, and total monitored spill duration down by 48%. There was also a 20% reduction in average duration per spill event.

The Agency and a number of campaigners qualified the data by pointing out that 2025 was a very dry year, and 2024 very wet.

Water UK accepted the role played by the weather, but also argued water companies are making active progress in cutting spills.

Fisherman Takes DAERA Over Lough Neagh Pollution - The first hearing has taken place in Belfast’s Royal Court of Justice in a case brought by fisherman Declan Conlon to challenge Northern Ireland’s environment department (DAERA) for failing to comply with its obligations to safeguard Lough Neagh from agricultural and wastewater pollution.

The claim uses eight legal grounds, including DAERA’s failure to adopt an adequate or lawful River Basin Management Plan.

Campaigner River Action has applied to intervene to raise legal and practical matters.

The case will return to court on 1 May.

People

WICS Seeks New Chair - The Scottish Government is seeking a new chair for the Water Industry Commission for Scotland.

The application window runs until 27 April.

Interim WICS chair Ronnie Hinds shared: “We are looking for someone who is passionate about Scotland’s public water sector and who understands the importance of strong, independent economic regulation. The ideal candidate will bring strategic insight, experienced leadership, and the ability to work collaboratively with fellow Commission Members and across the industry.”

Trio Hired For CCW Board - Defra has appointed three new independent members to the board of the Consumer Council for Water.

Alison Austin, a sustainability and governance specialist, and Hilary Florek, a strategic communications and marketing specialist, began three-year terms on 1 April.

Lawyer Peter Judge’s three-year term will begin on 1 November 2026.

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Infrastructure

Civil Engineers Urge Government For National Workforce Strategy - Westminster should publish a national workforce strategy to help deliver the infrastructure pipeline. That was one recommendation from the Institution of Civil Engineers’ 2026 State of the Nation report, which offered advice on how to successfully deliver the Ten Year Infrastructure Strategy across water, energy and transport.

Other areas highlighted in the report as essential for delivery included: making the best use of equipment and materials; adopting advanced digital technology; and collaboration with the supply chain through multi-year framework delivery partnerships.

Environment

MP Seeks UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site Status For Chalk Streams - Pippa Heylings, a Liberal Democrat MP, has introduced a Bill to Parliament that could see the UK’s chalk streams recognised as a serial UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

England has custody of 85% of the world’s globally rare chalk streams, but these are seriously threatened by over-abstraction, climate change and pollution. They have unique ecosystems and provide unique habitats for nature.

The Bill would require the Government to place chalk streams on the UK Tentative List, beginning the process towards world heritage status. In practical terms, UNESCO designation would help to galvanise protection in planning law; increase public engagement; prioritise chalk streams within water resource planning; and increase investment in their recovery.

Senedd Passes Law Creating New Environmental Protections In Wales - The Senedd has passed The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill , establishing a new framework for environmental protection in Wales.

The new legislation will create the Office of Environmental Governance Wales, an independent body responsible for holding public authorities to account on environmental law.  This includes the Welsh Government, environment regulator Natural Resources Wales and local authorities. 

The legislation also enables and requires ministers to set legally binding targets to halt and reverse biodiversity decline by increasing native species, strengthening ecosystem resilience and addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss. 

OEP Urges Government To Go “Further And Faster” On Protected Sites - Defra has published its response to the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) report on implementing environmental laws to protected terrestrial and freshwater sites for nature. However, the OEP has criticised this response as “disappointing”.

OEP chief executive Natalie Prosser explained: “In our report, published in December, we concluded that the legal framework was adequate but was not being implemented effectively, or at the pace and scale needed to meet the intended outcomes. We added that maintaining the status quo will not be enough and that significant change will be needed if sites are to be not only protected in law but also restored in practice.

“However, Defra’s response to our report largely points to the continuation of existing work, much of which was underway when we carried out our review, and commits to doing little that is new or different. Government needs to go further and faster.

“In light of the response, we will be considering what further steps we can take to contribute to the improved implementation of key aspects of this important area of environmental law.”

EAC Launches Data Centre Sustainability Inquiry - The Environmental Audit Committee has launched an inquiry on ‘The risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK.’  Amongst the issues in focus are how much energy and water data centres are likely to use, and how this could impact the Government’s net zero goals.

Pollution

Northern Ireland Plans Stronger Wastewater Controls - Tougher fines and penalties, tighter discharge consents, better monitoring and reporting, and the creation of an independent environmental protection agency were among the measures unveiled in the Northern Ireland Assembly to strengthen regulation and enforcement for wastewater pollution.

Other specific measures in the package included designating Belfast Lough as a a sensitive area under the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, and withdrawing the NI Environment Agency from the 2007 Statement of Regulatory Principles and Intent, which will mean NI Water is regulated on the same basis as other industries.

Environment minister Andrew Muir told the Assembly: “Some reforms, particularly stronger nutrient discharge standards, will be challenging for stakeholders. I acknowledge that, but we cannot allow the situation in our rivers, lakes and loughs to deteriorate any more. By strengthening the regulatory framework, improving compliance and enforcing it, we can achieve our aim, which is good, clean water.”

Yorkshire Water Fined For Staveley Spills - Yorkshire Water was fined £733,333 plus costs at Derby Crown Court for three separate sewage spills in 12 months across 2018-19, at Pools Brook Country Park in Staveley. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.

Water Reform

Environment Lobby Launches ‘Clean Water Now’ Campaign - Forty major environmental organisations have collaborated to launch the ‘ Clean water now ’ campaign, to demand ambitious measures in the forthcoming Water Reform Bill.

The group has three core demands:

• “Stop the polluters − clamp down on sewage, restrict intensive agriculture and ban toxic chemical pollution.

• Fix the broken system − stop water companies putting profit before people and nature, with a tough new regulator focused on nature and local communities involved.

• Restore nature − creating new natural habitats along rivers and coastlines, building natural resilience to climate change and bringing wildlife to communities around the country.”

As a first step, campaigners are urging the public to email their MPs with these demands.

Water Supply

South East Water To Be Fined £22m For 2020-23 Supply Disruptions - Ofwat has proposed a £22m fine  for South East Water (SEW) following an investigation into multiple supply disruptions between 2020 and 2023. 

The investigation found:

• SEW failed to plan sufficiently, learn from incidents and conduct root cause analysis to maintain resilience within its water supply system, and was therefore unable to cope during periods of high demand or extreme weather. 

• The company failed to maintain key infrastructure such as service reservoirs, boreholes and major pipes.

• The company’s response to incidents was often slow and disorganised, with shortages of bottled water and not enough tankers or support for vulnerable customers.  

Ofwat is consulting until 13 April on the fine (which is 8% of the company’s turnover) and an enforcement order.