7 hours agoShareSaveSimon Jack,Business editorandJonah Fisher,Climate correspondentShareSaveThe River Pang in Berkshire is regarded by some as one of the inspirations for Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows classics. It’s environmental status has deteriorated from “good” in 2015 to “poor” now – with campaigners blaming regular sewage discharges.On the banks of the Pang, Pete Devery from the Angling Trust told the BBC he was sceptical of the government’s plans.”I won’t hold my breath” he said.”The proof will be in the river. Do the rivers across the country improve? That’s the end result. Doesn’t matter what you call that regulator. It doesn’t matter how many regulators there are. If the difference isn’t made in the rivers, they will have failed.”In 2024, water companies released raw sewage into England’s rivers and seas for a record 3.61 million hours, a slight increase on 2023.Aging infrastructure, wetter winters and drier springs and farming runoff into rivers and lakes have all contributed to poor water service and quality.Ofwat, is currently the water industry’s economic regulator for both England and Wales. In October 2025 the Welsh government said that when Ofwat is abolished it plans to form its own stand-alone economic regulator to replace it.In 2025, water supply interruptions across England and Wales rose by 8% and pollution incidents by 27%, while customer satisfaction fell by 9%.Average water bills rose by 26%, or £123 a year, from last April after years of below-inflation increases that some have blamed, along with high executive pay and shareholder dividends, on under-investment in the sector.The sharp rise in bills is meant to address that under-investment by funding spending of £104 billion over the next five years – more than 40% of which is earmarked for new infrastructure. …
