Sewage scandals and bill increases mark year of woe for water industry
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Even by the water industry’s standards, 2024 was a torrid year. Firms faced more public anger over sewage spills, Thames Water teetered on the brink of collapse and one company even inadvertently poisoned its customers. It all played out against the prospect of steep rises in bills, which were fixed for the next five years by regulator Ofwat earlier in December.
Here PA news agency looks at the last 12 months – and what could be in store in 2025. Sewage scandals. Sewage spills and pollution worsened significantly, according to Environment Agency data. The issue was so bad in the River Thames that a University of Oxford rower went public about “poo in the water” around the annual boat race in April.
Research found high levels of E. coli were in the part of the river used for the annual race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Further north, United Utilities faced claims that it failed to report more than 100 million litres of raw sewage that it illegally dumped into Lake Windemere over a three-year period.
Analysis found that the company pumped between 143 million to 286 million litres of waste into the lake between 2021 and 2023 at times when it was not permitted. And down in Devon, South West Water owner Pennon had to pay compensation after a parasite contamination crisis left people in hospital.
The incident in Brixham saw the company forced to provide bottled water to some households for as long as two months. The outbreak in May left some people in hospital and hundreds of others ill after contamination of the water supply by cryptosporidium, a parasite which causes sickness and diarrhoea.
