Serious water pollution incidents in England up 60% last year - with three companies blamed for most

The fig of astir superior h2o contamination incidents roseate by 60% past year, according to information covering England, with 3 companies liable for the bulk of them.

The Environment Agency (EA) - nether occurrence for its ain oversight of h2o firms' contamination show - said that much than 80% of the 75 instances of contamination successful its 2 astir superior categories were the work of Thames Water (33), Southern Water (15) and Yorkshire Water (13).

But the assemblage added it had recovered "consistently mediocre performance" crossed each 9 h2o and wastewater firms successful the state - a akin summary to that of 2023.

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According to the report, reasons down the 2024 results included persistent underinvestment successful caller infrastructure, mediocre plus maintenance, and reduced resilience owed to the impacts of clime change.

The play was dominated by spells of aggravated rainfall, which overwhelmed tempest overflows and resulted successful sewage discharges.

The EA reported 2,801 contamination incidents successful full during 2024 - a hike of astir a third.

Thames Water, which has astir 16 cardinal households connected its books and is struggling to enactment up its precise future, was fined a record £105m by the regulator Ofwat successful May for breaching wastewater rules.

Fast-forward to 2025 and England is experiencing its driest commencement to the twelvemonth since 1976.

Hosepipe bans are expanding arsenic drought conditions are declared.

The information was released arsenic a committee of MPs called for regularisation of h2o companies to look a "complete overhaul" amid a deficiency of nationalist spot and choler implicit surging bills to wage for agelong overdue infrastructure improvements.

The Public Accounts Committee said that Ofwat and the EA had failed to unafraid manufacture compliance and warned that adjacent the precocious measure settlements to 2030 would lone effect successful 44% of sewage overflows being overhauled.

The Independent Water Commission, established by the authorities past twelvemonth and led by erstwhile Bank of England lawman politician Sir Jon Cunliffe, is owed to marque last recommendations connected the regulatory model adjacent week.

He warned erstwhile the interim study was published past month: "There is nary simple, azygous change, nary substance however radical, that volition present the cardinal reset that is needed for the h2o sector."

Alan Lovell, the EA's chair, said: "This study demonstrates continued systemic nonaccomplishment by immoderate companies to conscionable their biology targets.

"The h2o manufacture indispensable enactment urgently to forestall contamination from occurring and to respond rapidly erstwhile it does.

"We person made important changes to tighten our regularisation of the h2o manufacture and guarantee companies are held to account.

"With a dedicated larger workforce and accrued funding, our officers are uncovering and acting connected failures to comply with biology law."

A spokesperson for manufacture radical Water UK responded: "While determination person been immoderate improvements it is wide that the show of immoderate companies is not bully enough. The Environment Agency is close to item underinvestment successful infrastructure and attraction arsenic the large causes of these results.

"Investment successful the assemblage has been suppressed with Ofwat prioritising abbreviated -term cuts to people's h2o bills implicit the semipermanent resilience of the network. This is yet being enactment right, with a grounds £104bn concern implicit the adjacent 5-years to unafraid our h2o supplies, enactment economical maturation and extremity sewage entering our rivers and seas.

"However, cardinal alteration to regularisation is besides needed. We anticipation that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission adjacent week volition guarantee the assemblage continues to get the concern it needs to thrust down contamination incidents."