Water companies in England are set to record the highest number of serious pollution incidents in at least a decade as they get the green light to raise customers’ bills, The i Paper can reveal.
Data released under Freedom of Information laws, and shared with The i Paper, found water companies were responsible for 59 serious incidents, such as toxic sewage or chemical spills, in the first six months of this year alone.
The data is preliminary and subject to change following investigations by the Environment Agency (EA). But if pollution continues at this rate, it will make the number of serious incidents more than 50 per cent higher than last year and more than double the amount recorded in 2023.
The revelations come despite promises by the water industry that it is investing in its infrastructure to reduce pollution and reassurances from the Government that it is clamping down on wrongdoing.
Water companies collectively made billions of pounds in profits last year as customers’ bills increased. While some of this profit is reinvested in improving infrastructure, much is also spent on debt interest payments and shareholder dividends. The FOI data does not include a breakdown of incidents per water company.
