Water regulator has 'serious concerns' about Thames Water and Anglian Water
It's over treatment of sewage
Water regulator Ofwat says it has 'serious concerns' about sewage treatment works run by Thames Water and Anglian Water.
It's issued a warning about three other companies too - including Northumbrian Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water.
Ofwat interim boss David Black said: “The data that emerged at the end of last year suggested widespread shortcomings in how water companies were running sewage treatment works. The first phase of our investigation suggests those concerns are credible,”
“We have identified shortcomings in most water and wastewater companies and are continuing to investigate.
“But we have already seen enough in five companies to cause serious concern and warrant us taking further action.”
The data submitted to the regulator suggested a large number of waste water treatment facilities aren't meeting environmental rules.
The companies are also being accused of not providing enough data about their operations.
“We will now dig deeper into what these five companies have been doing, with the prospect of formal enforcement against them if we find they are failing on obligations Ofwat enforces,” Mr Black said.
“We will have further questions for all companies on this.
“In the meantime, we expect them to make quick progress in addressing any potential non-compliance they might have, whilst strengthening how they manage their environmental obligations as a whole.”
An Anglian Water spokesperson said: "We will, of course, continue to support Ofwat with the information they request."
"We’ve been transparent throughout and the regulator could have asked us at any point for further detail, which we would have provided. We want the public to know they can trust Anglian Water, and that we take our environmental obligations very seriously.
"We’re already ahead of schedule delivering our £800m programme of environmental improvements between now and 2025, which is specifically targeted at areas where we know we can make a difference."
A Thames Water spokesperson added: "We have long held the view that it is unacceptable for untreated sewage to enter rivers, even when legally permitted and we take this matter very seriously.
"We set out our position at the Environmental Audit Committee and are committed to being transparent, and have been developing an action plan, prior to Ofwat’s review, to radically improve our position in order to protect and improve the environment. We will fully cooperate with Ofwat on this next stage of the investigation.
"We have allocated an unprecedented amount of investment directed towards safeguarding our rivers and streams, including spending ÂŁ1.25 billion on maintaining and improving our operational sites, including contributing to the health of 745 Km of rivers of rivers across London and the Thames Valley.
"Our aim will always be to try and do the right thing for rivers and for the communities who love and value them. We are already taking action to reduce discharges of untreated sewage and welcome measures that will enable us to deliver our long-term aspirations faster to the benefit of both the communities we serve and the environment we seek to protect."
Earlier this year a report by the Environmental Audit Committee said England's rivers had serious issues with pollution, with many containing sewage, agricultural waste and plastics.