Water utility news covering municipal water systems, infrastructure investment, drought response, rates, and drinking water quality.
Water companies in England and Wales lose 2.87bn litres of water daily through leaks, five times more than a nationwide hosepipe ban would save. Greenpeace UK's analysis comes as firms impose temporary use bans on millions amid record heatwaves and declining reservoir levels.
A group of investors in Thames Water are preparing a multibillion-pound legal challenge against the UK government, led by Andy Burnham, if it forcibly nationalises the company. The investors are involved in a rescue bid for the struggling utility.
South East Water warned it is struggling to secure new financing from investors to ensure its financial viability. The company, owned by Utilities Trust of Australia, Desjardins, and NatWest Group Pension Fund, received £275mn in equity in late 2024 and mid-2025. Losses widened to £33m.
Wessex Water CEO Ruth Jefferson received a 14% base salary increase to £670,000 in October 2025, despite the company being banned from paying bonuses due to sewage spills. Her total pay reached £791,000, far above the 3.5% given to workers. Anglian Water also awarded its CEO a £500,000 retention payment despite the ban.
Southern Water was fined £7,127,083 for illegally dumping untreated sewage off the Kent coast between 2019 and 2021. The judge cited the company's 'exceptionally serious' record of 174 previous convictions, including a £90m fine in 2021 for nearly 7,000 incidents across southern England.
Anglian Water paid CEO Mark Thurston £1.3mn in retention and other payments, including a £500,000 retention bonus, despite UK government rules clamping down on excessive pay for poor performance. His total pay was £1.86mn. The company said payments were made by its unregulated parent company.
Detroit announced a $184 million program to repair 9,000 faulty alley sewer lines for free by 2030. Repairs will be phased over four years, prioritizing low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. The program is funded by a federal grant for recovery from August 2023 flooding.
Southern Water faces sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court for 13 offences related to illegal sewage discharges at Margate and Broadstairs pumping stations between 2019 and 2021. The discharges caused beach closures in Thanet, damaging local tourism. The company has since invested £38m in upgrades.
Welsh Water said a hosepipe ban is likely this weekend for around 33,000 properties in parts of Wales due to record water demand. Affected areas include mid and south Ceredigion, north Pembrokeshire, and north Carmarthenshire. Demand has risen 20% above normal, with about one billion litres supplied daily.
Southern Water pleaded guilty to environmental permit breaches after sewage flowed four miles along the River Test chalk stream in Hampshire. The pollution, discovered in March 2023, involved suspended solids more than triple the permitted limit. The company failed to alert the Environment Agency about the incident or failing equipment.