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Scottish Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Thames Water hit with largest ever fine for water company over sewage spills and breaking rules
RECORD WATER FINE Thames Water hit with largest ever fine for water company over sewage spills and breaking rules Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THAMES WATER has been hit with a £122.7million fine — the largest ever for a water company. It will pay £104.5million for sewage spills, plus £18.2million for breaking the rules over dividend payments. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Watchdog Ofwat slammed the struggling company for 'letting down its customers and failing to protect the environment'. It said Thames had 'routinely and not in exceptional circumstances' released untreated sewage. And, issuing its first fine over shareholder payments, it highlighted one of £37.5million in October 2023 to the firm's holding company — plus another £131.3million dividend from March 2024. Ofwat boss David Black, said: 'Our investigation has uncovered a series of failures by the company to build, maintain and operate adequate infrastructure.' Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said Thames' actions were a 'serious betrayal of customers and the environment'. The fine must be paid by Thames and its investors, and not be passed on to its 16 million customers. Thames hiked its bills by an average of 31 per cent in April. It owes £19billion and is trying to restructure its finances through a sale to US investment firm KKR. Thames insisted it takes its environmental responsibilities 'very seriously' and said it was making progress addressing the issues. Doubling Compensation for Water Issues: Government's Big Move 4 Thames Water has been hit with a £122.7million fine Credit: PA BRANCH GROWTH NATIONWIDE BUILDING SOCIETY says customers have been flocking to its branches over the past year as rival banks pull out of high streets. Nearly 200,000 more have used its branches. Nationwide has the second-largest branch network in the UK behind Lloyds. But Lloyds has been axing hundreds in recent years — with 136 more set to shut over the next year. Nationwide, meanwhile, has pledged to keep all of its nearly 700 branches open until at least the start of 2028. A PAW YEAR FOR PROFIT 4 Pets At Home reported a 16.6 per cent fall in profits Credit: Getty RISING costs and lower animal sales have both dealt a blow to Pets At Home. The chain reported a 16.6 per cent fall in profits in the year to the end of March, to £72.9million. The firm benefited from the boom in pet ownership during the pandemic but demand has fallen since. Profits at its vet arm climbed almost a quarter to £75.9million. But it is facing a probe over prices on items such as pet medications. CLOSING five depots and simplifying its structure has helped Magners and Tennent's maker C&C Group return to profit, as it made £38.5million last year, compared to a £70.9million loss in 2023. It sent shares climbing by 3 per cent. B&Q'S HOT SPELL THE recent warm weather has helped sales at B&Q owner Kingfisher to bounce back up by 5.9 per cent in the past three months. Seasonal products such as garden furniture has flown off the shelves, with sales up by almost a third across B&Q. And they were a fifth higher at Screwfix. But Kingfisher's boss Thierry Garnier remained cautious, warning that 'consumer sentiment remains mixed'. Traders agreed with his negative view, sending shares down almost four per cent. METER SCANDAL'S £140 PAYOUTS 4 Eight companies are set to pay £5.6million in compensation over the meter scandal Credit: Getty EIGHT energy companies will pay an average £140 compensation to 40,000 customers forced to have pay-as-you-go meters installed. They will pay £5.6million in compensation using guidelines set out by Ofgem. They have also agreed to write off £13million of energy debts from customers who had a prepayment energy meter force-fitted between January 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023. The firms involved are Scottish Power, EDF, Octopus, Utility Warehouse, Good Energy, Tru Energy and Ecotricity. Octopus inherited force-fitting cases when they acquired customers. The firms have agreed to the compensation, ordered by Ofgem after a review. The watchdog's Tim Jarvis said: 'Our priority has been to put things right. "We've made our expectations clear to suppliers on how customers who were treated poorly should be compensated.' Some firms tried to ensure struggling customers paid their bills by forcing their way into their homes to install a meter, often when they were out. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said of yesterday's ruling: 'Justice is finally being delivered to many of the families, lots of them vulnerable, who were affected by the scandal.' Dhara Vyas, chief of Energy UK, said: 'Suppliers have worked hard to co- operate with this review.' Customers will be contacted by their suppliers and do not need to take action. GOOGLE'S £25BN RAP GOOGLE is facing a £25billion lawsuit in Britain over its 'excessive and unfair prices' in online advertising. Roger Kaye KC, a former deputy High Court judge, has filed a lawsuit arguing that Google uses its dominant position to charge excessive rates. He is seeking compensation for all advertisers who have paid for search advertising since 2011. Mr Kaye says it has affected between 500,000 and 1.5million advertisers. GROCERY INFLATION 2YR HIGH 4 Grocery price inflation is at its highest since February 2023 Credit: Reuters GROCERY price inflation has surged to 4.1 per cent — the highest since February 2023, according to analysts. The figure takes the UK into 'new territory', warned market research company Kantar. Prices rose the fastest for chocolate treats, suncare products, butter and spreads. May's hot weather sent sun cream sales climbing 36 per cent. Other rises included potato salad (up 32 per cent) chilled burgers (27), prepared salads and coleslaw (both 19). Meanwhile, prices fell the fastest for dog and cat food, and household paper products. Fraser McKevitt, from Kantar, said: 'Households have been adapting their buying habits to manage budgets for some time. 'But we typically see changes once inflation tips beyond the three per cent to four per cent point as people notice the impact on their wallets.' He said own-label lines were currently the fastest growing part of the market.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Josh Peck's Net Worth In 2025 From Nickelodeon to Big Bucks
Josh Peck's in 2025 is enough to let him maintain his lifestyle, choose projects that excite him and relax a bit in between, and that's exactly how he likes it. "I'm uniquely lucky because my purpose is the thing that I love and can also financially sustain me," the actor, podcaster and YouTube star previously told Parade. Wise words from The Wackness co-star are part of what Peck says keeps him both grounded and successful in a world where child stars often struggle not just to keep working as adults, but also to find their own senses of self and healthy coping mechanisms. "I was asking him for advice and I thought he was going to tell me these secrets to being a movie star," Peck recalled. "But what he told me was, 'Find your apostles. Surround yourself with people who make you better.' Since then, I've lived by that advice." It's worked spectacularly: From Nickelodeon to an Oscar-winning juggernaut, find out how Peck became famous and how much he's worth today. Related: Born Nov. 10, 1986 in New York City, Peck grew up in the Big Apple and attended the Professional Performing Arts School. He began working as a child, performing standup comedy and appearing on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when he was just 10 years old. At 13, he was cast alongside on The Amanda Show, and he and his mother moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career further. He remained on The Amanda Show until its 2002 cancellation, but worked other jobs during that time as well. In 2000, Peck made his movie debut in the family comedy Snow Day, and in 2001 starred in Max Keeble's Big Move and guest-starred on network drama E.R. and appeared in several indies. Peck became a household name in 2004 when he landed the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh with , but it was a mixed bag for him emotionally: While he became financially secure and super successful, he worried about getting typecast because of his weight at the time. "On the one hand, I was getting to perform my favorite kind of comedy on a network I dreamed of being on, but on the other hand I was introducing myself to the world in a body I didn't want to be in," he previously confessed to Parade. "People are used to a big, funny guy. It's synonymous with the wrapping on your favorite candy bar. It brings people pleasure and they get used to it." Peck recalled being told he'd be the next or , but the idea didn't thrill him. "Those guys are geniuses and I would be happy to have one-tenth of the careers that they've had," he said. "But people weren't comparing me to their talent; they were comparing me to their girth." Peck went on a weight loss journey when he was 16, dropping more than 70 pounds in 18 months, but still struggled with self-esteem, leading him to battle substance abuse and addiction. Thankfully, he got sober thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous and has continued to thrive. Related: According to Celebrity Net Worth, Josh Peck's net worth in 2025 is estimated at about $6 million. By "royalties," you likely actually mean "residuals." And no, he doesn't: He told Trade Secrets that there "are no residuals on kids' television." That said, when the show ended, he still got some pay for a time. He explained, "It was like we had 18 months of runway, you know. It's as though someone had lost their job." Related: Peck revealed on the Trade Secrets podcast that he made about $15,000 per episode of Drake & Josh. "You live with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year—now, certainly a great amount of money, but not enough to set you up for life," he said of his payday for the Nickelodeon series. "And a lot of it, we lived on, and I'm not gonna brag: My mom and I had a used BMW 5 series. We lived in a two-bedroom apartment with amenities." With an estimated net worth of $6 million, Peck is plenty wealthy. Related: After Drake & Josh ended, Peck continued acting, including on other Nickelodeon shows like iCarly and Victorious as Josh Nichols. He's a prolific voice actor, providing his pipes for Eddie in the Ice Age franchise, Casey Jones in the 2013-2017 iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and more. In terms of live-action projects, Peck starred in Grandfathered alongside , How I Met Your Father and the Disney+ TV adaptation of Turner & Hooch. He's also guest-starred in Fuller House and Pitch and appeared in the ensemble drama Oppenheimer, among other movies, and starred in the Netflix musical comedy 13. In 2022, Peck released his memoir Happy People Are Annoying. Peck is also an influencer on Instagram, creating sponsored content for mega-brands like HBO, Enfamil and Babylist, as well as on YouTube, where he boasts more than 3.4 million subscribers. He co-hosts the Good Guys podcast with comedian Ben Soffer and previously hosted Curious With Josh Peck. Related: Peck's payday for Oppenheimer isn't publicly known, but it's safe to say the prestige from that movie may pay off in its overall impact on his resume—and he said so himself, though not in so many words. Peck played real-life Manhattan Project scientist Kenneth Bainbridge in the film, which won a slew of Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Nolan, Best Actor for and Best Supporting Actor for . He previously told Parade that working alongside Murphy and in the critically lauded historical drama was a "masterclass." "I love being around people who are operating at a high level so I can basically steal from them," he said. "I'm trying to figure out all their cheat codes and their hacks, so getting to just watch these greats operate at that high level was an honor. And I'm very proud to be a part of it. Any time I have an opportunity to work with someone like that who I really look up to, I run at it." Up Next:
