Is South East Water’s £22m fine a step towards total renationalisation? March 10, 2026 The total mess that Thames Water and South East Water find themselves in – which touch on issues of environmental neglect, underinvestment in critical infrastructure, the limits of privatisation and the role of shareholders in utility companies that operate an effective monopoly – could be a harbinger of what’s to come, says Brett Israel Last [...]
South East Water in spat with watchdog after £22m fine March 5, 2026 South East Water has entered a heated spat with the water regulator after it was hit with a £22m fine. The water firm’s fine covers multiple supply interruptions in Kent and Sussex between the period of 2020 and 2023, effecting more than 286,000 people. Ofwat said its investigations into the water firm found it had [...]
Thames Water creditors offer £4bn debt write-off October 2, 2025 Creditors of Thames Water have made a rescue offer for the failing company by allowing a £4bn write-off of their debt in return for changed targets on pollution incidents. The deal would see 25 per cent of Thames Water’s debt written off but the group, under the consortium London & Valley Water, would see regulators [...]
Rachel Reeves tells creditors to resolve Thames Water crisis September 1, 2025 Rachel Reeves has called for a “market-based solution” to be found at Thames Water before the company is put into special administration. The Chancellor reportedly sent a letter to creditors of Thames Water to state that any solution must result in a “successful turnaround”. Her letter came after environment secretary Steve Reed said the government [...]
A plea from a data centre owner: Stop vilifying us! August 27, 2025 Vast, humming fortresses of silicon and steel, data centres are the unsung titans, not villains, of our digital age, writes Huw Owen Data centres are under siege – not from cyberattacks, but from headline writers. “Thirsty data centres are sucking up Britain’s scarce water supplies,” cried one recent report; another elsewhere warned that the government’s [...]
Thames Water’s cash crunch intensifies as bailout rumours swirl August 15, 2025 Thames Water faces a race against time to avoid collapse even after securing a short-term cash injection. The UK’s largest water company is set to run out of money as soon as September 2026 should it fail to secure a financial lifeline in the form of a recapitalisation deal. The utility company said the second [...]
Labour lines up advisers for Thames Water administration August 12, 2025 Labour ministers have reached out to top insolvency practitioners in the scenario Thames Water falls into special administration, it has been reported. The UK’s largest water company is at a crisis point after private equity giant KKR pulled out of a multi-billion pound investment deal that could have offered it a lifeline given Thames Water [...]
Environment secretary: Labour’s water revolution will give investors certainty July 22, 2025 Abolishing Ofwat and streamlining water regulation will give the sector the clarity and accountability it needs to attract private investment, says environment secretary Steve Reed Today is the start of a water revolution. When I came into office a year ago, it was immediately clear our water system needed a complete reset. There were high [...]
Ofwat to be scrapped in sweeping water reforms July 21, 2025 Ofwat is set to be abolished and replaced by a “single, powerful regulator” aimed at cutting water pollution and protecting families from higher bills, the government has revealed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said operations conducted in England by Ofwat will be merged with the Environment Agency, Natural England and [...]
United Utilities: Banned bonus for FTSE 100 CEO revealed June 23, 2025 The amount top bosses at FTSE 100 giant United Utilities are set to lose in bonuses – after the water giant was named as one of six to be banned from handing out the payouts – has been revealed. Earlier this month, new measures in the Water (Special Measures) Act come into force which prohibited utility [...]