33 minutes agoShareSaveMark Poynting,Climate and science reporter, BBC News and Jonah Fisher,Environment correspondentShareSaveGetty ImagesThe water industry has faced mounting anger from customers and campaigners for rising bills and repeated sewage spills.The Environment Agency reported in July that “serious” pollution incidents had increased by 60% in 2024 versus 2023.And in April, bills rose by an average of 26% in England and Wales, after the economic regulator Ofwat approved water company plans for billions of pounds of investment.Bills will continue to rise to 2030 to help upgrade water supplies and reducing the amount of sewage being spilled.Earlier this year the government said that Ofwat would be scrapped and replaced by a single regulator.That followed a landmark review of the “failing” water sector in England and Wales, which recommended stronger regulation to hold water companies to account. It warned that there would be no quick fixes to improve the state of our rivers or bring down bills.In response to today’s EA’s report, Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Customers are now paying more than ever before through water bills and they will expect to see companies delivering on their promises to cut pollution and help bring rivers, lakes and wildlife habitats back to life. “If the industry fails to deliver, the damage to public trust – which is already at an all-time low – may be unrecoverable,” he added. …
