Thames Water 'underperforming' in latest environmental assessment
The Environment Agency has published its annual report on the environmental performance of England's nine water and sewerage companies during 2023
One of the West Country's water firms has responded to a report which says England's water companies are continuing to underperform when it comes to their duty to protect the environment.
Thames Water, which serves Swindon and parts of Gloucestershire, is one of five firms to be handed just two stars in the Environment Agency's latest set of judgements on the nine water companies which serve England.
These findings come as the number of serious pollution incidents increased from 44 in 2022 to 47 last year.
The aim of the report is to highlight where improvement in water company performance is required and push for continuous improvement across the sector. As the regulator the Environment Agency constantly tighten EPA targets.
The Government says this has been fundamental in driving better performance, however current performance remains well below expectations.
Under the latest findings, water companies have received the following star ratings:
- United Utilities – 4 stars, up from 3 stars
- Severn Trent Water – 4 stars, the same as the previous year
- Wessex Water – 4 stars, up from 2 stars
- Northumbrian Water – 3 stars, the same as the previous year
- Anglian Water – 2 stars, the same as the previous year
- Southern Water – 2 stars, the same as the previous year
- South West Water – 2 stars, the same as the previous year
- Thames Water – 2 stars, the same as the previous year
- Yorkshire Water –2 stars, down from 3 stars
In response to the report findings, the Environment Agency has set out further plans to transform its regulation of the water industry.
Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said: "For the nation to have cleaner rivers and seas, water companies must take responsibility to understand the root cause of their problems.
"It is promising to see some companies starting to accept their responsibilities, but it is evident that the pace of improvement continues to fall short.
"We frequently tighten standards to drive better performance and we have been clear that we expect all companies to achieve, and most critically sustain, better environmental performance.
"As part of this we are taking forward our biggest ever transformation in the way we regulate, recruiting up to 500 additional staff, increasing compliance checks and quadrupling the number of water company inspections by March next year. Through additional resources, tightened EPA metrics and new legal powers, we will be playing our part to ensure the industry steps up on the environment."
"It is promising to see some companies starting to accept their responsibilities, but it is evident that the pace of improvement continues to fall short.
"We frequently tighten standards to drive better performance and we have been clear that we expect all companies to achieve, and most critically sustain, better environmental performance.
"As part of this we are taking forward our biggest ever transformation in the way we regulate, recruiting up to 500 additional staff, increasing compliance checks and quadrupling the number of water company inspections by March next year. Through additional resources, tightened EPA metrics and new legal powers, we will be playing our part to ensure the industry steps up on the environment."
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Protecting the environment is fundamental to what we do and we recognise our performance in preventing pollutions is still not good enough.
“Our region has experienced the wettest winter since records began, resulting in exceptionally high groundwater and river levels. This has at times overwhelmed our sewer system and has led to discharges into rivers.
“More investment is needed across the entire sector, as infrastructure ages and demand on it increases. That’s why we’ve asked for increased investment in the next regulatory cycle between 2025-2030 so we can improve outcomes for customers, and the environment.
“Our River Health Plan highlights our ambition to deliver these changes. We are upgrading 250 of our sewage treatment works to reduce the number of storm discharges to protect the environment and eliminate the risk of incidents in the future.”
You can read the report in full on the Environment Agency website.