England’s water companies recorded a sharp rise in serious pollution incidents during 2024, with the country seeing a 60 percent increase in high‐severity events. The Environment Agency’s annual report reveals that 75 category 1 and 2 pollution incidents were recorded last year—up from 47 in 2023—delivering a stark warning about the deteriorating environmental performance of the country’s major water utilities.
Only three companies—the principal offenders Thames Water, Southern Water, and Yorkshire Water—were responsible for 81 percent of these most serious incidents. Thames Water led with 33 serious cases, followed by Southern Water with 15 and Yorkshire Water with 13. Beyond these, other providers also failed to meet environmental expectations, as the Environment Agency emphasised a pattern of consistent underperformance across all nine major operators.
All pollution events, inclusive of more minor severity (categories 1 through 3), climbed 29 percent, bringing the total to 2,801 incidents in 2024 compared to 2,174 in 2023. Thames Water accounted for the greatest share of this, with 523 incidents alone.
The Environment Agency singled out systemic failures—stemming from chronic underinvestment in infrastructure, neglected maintenance, and reduced resilience to climate change—as central causes of the worsening performance. Heavy rainfall overwhelmed storm overflow systems, exacerbating sewage discharges into sensitive ecological areas.
Of particular concern: incidents involving sewerage being pumped uphill accounted for around 20 percent of the serious pollution events, impacting protected waters and areas designated for swimming.
In response, the Environment Agency conducted over 4,000 site inspections on water company assets in the past financial year. Alarmingly, 24 percent of those inspected sites failed to comply with permit conditions. The regulator insisted that adverse weather or external variables offer no justification for failing legal obligations.
With the expectation under the Water Industry Strategic Environmental Requirements (WISER) that serious pollution incidents trend toward zero by 2025, current performance is seen as deeply unacceptable. Water companies are also expected to increase timely self-reporting of incidents. Although 74 percent of serious incidents in 2024 were self-reported—a notable improvement over prior years—this remains insufficient given the scale of ecological damage involved.
To bolster enforcement, the recently enacted Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 grants regulators new powers, including banning water company executives from receiving bonuses if they fail to meet environmental standards, and enabling special administration modes for persistently underperforming firms.
The poor performance record comes as a critical review of the water sector—the first since its privatization in 1989—is underway. This coincides with parliamentary scrutiny, including a Public Accounts Committee report highlighting that key regulators such as Ofwat and the Environment Agency have been “missing in action” amid rising consumer water bills, widespread environmental failures, and weak enforcement actions. The committee called for urgent reform to restore public trust and environmental credibility.
Moreover, Thames Water is under mounting financial pressure and political scrutiny. It posted a £1.65 billion annual loss, is burdened by nearly £17–20 billion in debt, and continues to be embroiled in controversy over executive pay and environmental breaches. Unless regulatory flexibility is granted, its future as a private company is in jeopardy.
Campaign groups have joined the chorus of concern. River Action’s leadership has called for Thames Water to be placed into special administration and demanded stronger enforcement of environmental laws. They argue the industry must shift from broken promises to real accountability, to protect wildlife and communities alike.
As consumers face rising water bills to fund infrastructure upgrades—estimated at £98 billion industry-wide between 2025 and 2030 for wastewater alone—pressure mounts for water companies to deliver tangible improvements and aligned regulatory frameworks to prevent further pollution disasters.
