Ofwat orders water companies to pay £158m back to customers

Water companies will have to return £158 million to customers after their worst year for pollution incidents since 2020.

Water regulator Ofwat found that nine out of 11 water companies caused more pollution incidents than the year before. South West Water reported the biggest increase, up 80 per cent. United Utilities, which serves northwest England, saw a 71 per cent rise and Northumbrian Water was up by 65 per cent.

The performance across the water sector was so bad that a target for curbing water pollution now looks out of reach. Firms had committed to cutting their pollution incidents by 30 per cent by 2025. However, the dire record last year means that they have only achieved a 2 per cent reduction to date.

Water