Serious sewage spills up 60 per cent in last year - with one company responsible for more than a third of incidents
The latest data from across England showed that Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water were behind 81 per cent of cases, but added that there had been 'consistently poor performance' across all nine water companies.
Meanwhile, just two companies - Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water - had no serious incidents last year, meeting the Environment Agencies expectations to see a trend to zero pollution incidents by 2025.
Thames Water accounted for 33 of 75 serious incidents recorded by the EA - more than a third of the total.
Overall, the watchdog said all pollution incidents increased by 29 per cent, with water companies recording 2,801, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Every year, the EA assesses pollution incidents from water firms into categories, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) being the most serious.
The EA, who have come under fire for their own oversight of pollution performance from water companies, said they were 'particularly concerned' about the rise in spills from pipes carrying wastewater uphill.
Reasons behind the 2024 results were given as persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience due to the impacts of climate change.
Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency said: 'This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets.
'The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does.
'We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account. With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law.'
Meanwhile, MPs have said the system of regulating water companies needs 'a complete overhaul' as the sector hikes customer bills to expand failing infrastructure and tackle pollution.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the government must act with urgency to strengthen oversight of the sector to rebuild trust and ensure its poor performance improves.
In a report released on Tuesday, the committee highlighted how bills are expected to rise at their fastest rate in 20 years while customer trust in the sector is at an all-time low.
The EA has also been handed its largest ever budget for tackling pollution, with a cash injection of more than £189m for this financial year.
The Environment Department (Defra) said the money will help to fund more enforcement officers, improved equipment and the latest technology.
The regulator will carry out more than 10,000 inspections of water company assets this year and has launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water company pollution incidents since July 2024.
A Water UK spokesperson said: "While there have been some improvements, it is clear that the performance of some companies is not good enough.
"This is finally being put right, with a record £104 billion investment over the next five years to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
"However, fundamental change to regulation is also needed. We hope that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission next week will ensure the sector continues to get the investment it needs to drive down pollution incidents."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Influx of long-only funds signals a shift at PTSB
E amonn Crowley, chief executive of PTSB, should buy one of those bar-room signs that declares how all patrons make us happy: some by coming, some by leaving. Last week Crowley would have been happy enough to see NatWest leave the register, and absolutely delirious to welcome Fidelity International and Wellington Management in its stead. The British bank was an accidental investor; its stake part payment for the loan book and deposits sold to PTSB as part of Ulster Bank's exit from the market. It was never a long-term holder. Fidelity and Wellington are long-only funds, the kind of members every public company wants in its club. Forget the ruffian, event-driven hedge funds, these boys are quality. Wellington (5.8 per cent) and Fidelity (4.2 per cent) still rank behind waste magnate Eamon Waters's Sretaw (7.1 per cent). It's possible that all three could look to edge up to just below the 10 per cent level that requires Central Bank of Ireland approval. The big hope is that the two funds will attract other long-term investors.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Spaniels replace 'unhealthy' French bulldogs as UK's favourite dog breed
With distinctive ears and playful personalities, it's little wonder French bulldogs have been the bestselling dog for ten years. But they have finally been knocked off the top spot – with the Prince and Princess of Wales ' favoured breed, the cocker spaniel, coming up as top dog. A Pets4Homes report looked into 7.5million pets which have been rehomed in the past six years and found 'flat-faced' breeds such as the French bulldog, which are expensive and can have health problems, are less popular. In contrast, cocker spaniels have rocketed up to take the crown. William and Kate got their spaniel Orla in 2020 after Lupo, also a cocker, died. Also popular is the miniature dachshund – beloved by celebrities including Prince Harry 's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas and Game Of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke – which has made it into the top three for the first time. The number of people investing in a new pet rose sharply during the pandemic as families spent more time at home. This was followed by a slump in the market as over-supply, rising living costs and adoption fatigue took its toll. But demand was up 33 per cent last year, which caused puppy prices to jump 14.3 per cent. While cockers are the bestsellers, goldendoodles – a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle – are the most sought-after, with the greatest number of enquiries per dog on Pet4Homes website. They had around 900 interested buyers per listing, followed closely by maltipoos – a Maltese and a poodle – on 802, and then golden retrievers on 771. The most expensive pets are English bulldogs, which sell for an average of £1,544 – up by a quarter on last year. Meanwhile, cavalier King Charles spaniels cost £1,528, up by more than a quarter, golden retrievers are £1,521 on average – up 15.8 per cent – and boxers come in at £1,472, up 17.2 per cent. Axel Lagercrantz, chief executive of Pets4Homes, said: 'French bulldogs being dethroned as the number one bred dog reflects a wider societal turning away from dogs that appear to be unhealthy, as well as a wider diminishing popularity of bulldogs. 'Bulldogs also tend to be very expensive – the English bulldog being the most expensive dog breed, according to our report – which means as the costs of keeping a pet rise, the appetite for very expensive dogs decreases.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Government prepares for release of landmark review into ailing water sector
The Government is bracing for the release of a landmark review into the water industry, which could reportedly lead to the abolition of embattled water regulator Ofwat. The Independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, will outline recommendations to turn around the floundering sector in its final report on Monday. The review was commissioned by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their response to systemic industry failures, which include rising bills, record sewage spills and debt-ridden company finances, although ministers have ruled out nationalising companies. The Government will respond to the recommendations in Parliament later on Monday. The review reportedly includes proposals to establish a new system of regulation, which is currently split between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Ministers will announce a consultation that could lead to axing Ofwat, which oversees how much water companies in England and Wales can charge for services, according to the Guardian. Ofwat has faced intense criticism for overseeing water companies during the years that they paid shareholders and accrued large debts while ageing infrastructure crumbled and sewage spills skyrocketed. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Environment Secretary Steve Reed suggested he was in favour of a new model where regional boards managed water in their areas, including representatives from water companies, local authorities and other organisations. He said: 'I think the catchment-based model has a lot to commend it. Because if you can manage what's going into the water better, you can clean up the water faster.' Asked on Friday if there were plans to scrap Ofwat as the regulator, Downing Street said the Government will wait for a final report. A No 10 spokesman said: 'We are waiting for Sir Jon Cunliffe's final report next week, you can expect us to set out our response after that on what more we will do to turn the sector around.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We are not going to comment on speculation.' Ofwat declined to comment. Mr Reed is also expected to announce a new Government pledge to halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade, during broadcast interviews on Sunday. He said: ' Families have watched their local rivers, coastlines and lakes suffer from record levels of pollution. 'My pledge to you: the Government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade.' But in his Sunday Times interview, he acknowledged that bills were unlikely to fall from their current level, saying instead that an investment of £104 billion in the sector would 'avoid the need for any big bill hikes in the future'. It comes after the Environment Agency on Friday said the number of serious pollution incidents caused by water companies across England rose by 60% in 2024 compared with the previous year. The figures showed companies recorded a total of 2,801 pollution incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023. Of these, 75 were categorised as posing 'serious or persistent' harm to wildlife and human health – up from 47 last year. The Environment Agency said it is clear some companies are failing to meet the targets it has set on pollution, attributing failures to persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance and reduced resilience because of the impacts of climate change. Earlier on Friday, the Public Accounts Committee also released a report which called the level of pollution 'woeful' and recommended an overhaul of the regulation system. The cross-party group of MPs said the Government must act with urgency to strengthen oversight of the sector to rebuild trust and ensure its poor performance improves. The Independent Water Commission published its interim report in June, which found the sector to be beset with 'deep-rooted, systemic' failures. While the paper outlined the commission's direction of travel, it stopped short of providing detailed recommendations on policy, regulatory reform and corporate governance, which are now expected in the final report. The interim review pointed to the need for better regulation of water companies but it did not recommend the wholesale scrapping of Ofwat, which some have urged. Nationalisation, which some campaigners have also called for, was excluded from its terms of reference when commissioned by the Government. Meanwhile, the Conservatives accused Labour of copying the previous government's policies and doing nothing to halt rises in water bills. Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said the Government should be 'transparent' about where the money to fix Britain's sewers was coming from, warning that consumers may have to stump up some of the cash. She added: 'Labour's water plans must also include credible proposals to improve the water system's resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers.'
