09 Jul 2026
Photo credit: Darren Tolley Severn Trent Water has been found in breach of its wastewater obligations, though Ofwat has decided against a financial penalty. The regulator concluded the company failed in its duties to provide drainage and manage the contents of its sewers, and had historically breached licence requirements to maintain adequate processes and systems. […]
02 Jul 2026
Photo description: View looking down at someone’s hands rinsing a metal cup in a sink. Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash The rollout and its strategic context Water companies across England and Wales are committed to fitting approximately half of all homes with a smart meter by 2030, forming a central component of the sector’s demand […]
01 Jul 2026
Photo description: Someone’s torso wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, spraying a hose. Photo by Delia Giandeini on Unsplash The scale of the challenge A major new public engagement initiative, Let’s Save Water, has launched with backing from leading scientists, environmental bodies, and water industry figures, as new research reveals just one in 10 (11%) adults in England […]
25 Jun 2026
Image description: A computer circuit board with a central black square, with the letters AI prominent in white. Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash Ofwat has published its first artificial intelligence adoption plan for the water sector, setting out how AI can be deployed across water and wastewater services. The plan arrives as the regulator […]
11 Jun 2026
Photo by Iain on Unsplash Welsh Water is facing a £44.7 million enforcement package from Ofwat even as it commits £617 million to infrastructure spending in its first year of an ambitious transformation programme. The regulator formalised the package in June, following an investigation into wastewater asset failures, requiring the company to fund measures […]
04 Jun 2026
Image description: The overflow plughole on Ladybower reservoir in full flow. Peak District, England. Photo by Jonathan Bean on Unsplash Why it matters Ofwat has launched a consultation on new draft guidance for water companies delivering schemes under the Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations 2013 (SIPR), the framework originally used to deliver the Thames Tideway Tunnel. In […]
04 Jun 2026
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash Communication, not supply, was the breakdown A new report jointly commissioned by Ofwat and the Consumer Council for Water has concluded that communication, rather than supply failure itself, was the clearest and most consistent breakdown in South East Water’s response to two major disruptions last winter. Fewer than one in […]
28 May 2026
Image description: An outdoor water tap in sharp focus, with a blurred green background. Photo by Luis Tosta on Unsplash Record heat, record demand Across the UK’s hottest May bank holiday on record, temperatures hit 35°C at Heathrow and South East Water in Kent and Sussex found its system pushed beyond capacity. Demand peaked at 670 […]
