Water companies in England and Wales will have to return nearly £158m to customers through lower bills next year after falling further behind on key targets including sewage spills.
The regulator, Ofwat, announced the penalties as part of its annual review of companies’ performance. Performance penalties have totalled more than £430m since 2020.
The Ofwat chief executive, David Black, said: “This year’s performance report is stark evidence that money alone will not bring the sustained improvements that customers rightly expect.
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“It is clear that companies need to change and that has to start with addressing issues of culture and leadership. Too often we hear that weather, third parties or external factors are blamed for shortcomings.”
More details soon …