From Action Network

Target: Steve Barclay MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food, And Rural Affairs

Untreated sewage was discharged into English waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023.

In 2022, water companies paid out £1.4 billion in dividends – even as 11 of them were fined in the same year for missing performance targets.

Why? Private companies’ mismanagement and underinvestment on essential infrastructure – because their priority is profit, not our planet, and not our people.

And now our government might bail them out – our cash, in their pockets.

In the short-term, join us in calling for the government:

1. Refuse Thames Water’s request to be allowed to increase bills and limit fines to protect its finances, which would reward mismanagement at the expense of customers and the public.
2. Put Thames Water into special administration and to transfer its assets and functions to a publicly-owned company.

In the long-term, we want to see all English water companies be brought into public ownership so that our water network can be managed for the benefit of people and planet.

Ofwat considers cutting sewage fines for financially struggling water firms

The Guardian reports that the regulator is understood to be looking at ‘recovery regime’ for Thames Water and others in sector.