US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
UK takes aim at struggling water sector with new regulator
The government plans a single regulator with powers for no-notice infrastructure checks and a Performance Improvement Regime to address rising sewage pollution and supply failures.
- On Jan 19, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds will present plans to create a new water regulator for England to prevent sewage spills and supply outages.
- After years of under-investment, the government said the privatised water sector is broken, with Thames Water heavily in debt and 3.61 million hours of raw sewage released in 2024, while two recent outages left tens of thousands of households in south east England without water.
- The White Paper sets out dedicated company-specific teams and a Performance Improvement Regime, while a chief engineer will sit inside the regulator and it gains no-notice inspection powers.
- Officials say Ofwat will unlikely be formally axed before 2027, but the government will set a transition path in the coming months and ministers pledge 10,000 inspections this year.
- Campaigners argued the measures fall short, warning reforms do not go far enough on ownership, investment, and pollution while CCW reported a 50% increase in water-provider complaints.
Insights by Ground AI
17 Articles
17 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Center
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources are Center
60% Center
L 30%
C 60%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
