The latest Water Company Performance Report shows inconsistent performance has cost the water sector £157.6m as companies fall behind on several key targets.
The North West’s Water Supplier will lose £33 million but the biggest loser is Thames Water with £57m
The regulator Ofwat in its annual performance report ordered to return £157.6m to customers via lower bills next year after missing key targets on issues like pollution, leaks and supply interruptions while customer satisfaction continues to fall.
Ofwat said that the industry was falling far behind a target to cut incidents by 30% over the 2020-25 period, with leakages down only 2%.
Cultural changes are needed in the Companies in order to precipitate change the regulator added
The water companies say wet weather has resulted in a higher level of sewage releases. They have asked the regulator to allow bills to rise over the next five years so they can lift investment to improve their performance, but Ofwat wants to cap bill rises at lower levels and has told the water Companies that they should stop blaming the weather for pollution spills
