Water Minister Rebecca Pow has written an exclusive column in the Witney Gazette about Thames Water’s environmental and spending performance.
It comes after Thames Water has apologised for recurring sewage releases near Oxford over the Christmas period.
This is what the minister had to say on the issue:
Securing clean and plentiful water for future generations is an absolute priority for this government.
This week the Environment Secretary and I met with the chief executives of underperforming water companies, including Thames Water, to outline the improvement actions that urgently need to be put in place to improve their performance, both for their customers and our environment.
This follows on from Ofwat’s report last week, which showed Thames Water to be amongst the six worst performers in the industry.
As Water Minister, I am particularly concerned about the unacceptable level of serious pollution incidents and a deterioration in overall compliance at sewage treatment works across the country.
Following the dry weather this summer, which highlighted more than ever the need for stronger water resilience, I’m also concerned by a lack of progress to reduce water demand and I expect companies to act faster to further reduce leakage which accounts for 20 per cent of water lost from public water supply.
Ofwat has also highlighted a lack of investment in improving infrastructure during the first two years of the current price review period, which is more concerning given Ofwat’s findings on water company performance overall.
I have made clear to Ofwat and to water companies our expectations that industry accelerates this investment to deliver the outcomes government and the customers expect.
Thames Water’s performance was poor in more than half of the 12 metrics in Ofwat’s report, and they have the worst customer satisfaction rating in the industry.
While they met standards for things such as leakage, mains repairs and unplanned outages, the company needs to immediately take action to improve its environmental performance - particularly serious pollution incidents.
Last year, the Environment Agency statistics show that Thames Water had 271 pollution incidents – 12 of which were classed as serious.
There are worrying signs that these incidents are increasing, which is putting pressure on the county’s natural environment and is both unpleasant and a potential health hazard for locals.
I have told water companies in no uncertain terms that they need to raise their game and those that do not meet expectations will be held to account.
As I write this, the Environment Agency and Ofwat are busy carrying out the largest investigation of its kind into water and waste water treatment companies.
Last year, water companies received a record level of fines – over £102million - for pollution incidents as a result of EA prosecutions.
Last month, we announced plans for money from such fines to be directly invested into schemes that benefit our environment.
This could include initiatives to restore our water environments by creating wetlands, re-vegetating river banks and reconnecting meanders to the main channel of rivers.
It is time for the water companies to act; they must respond to government’s priorities for the sector and deliver on the new duties in the Environment Act to deliver the outcomes customers rightly expect.
Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan has brought in the strictest targets to minimise sewage pollution - particularly at bathing water sites - and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history to tackle storm sewage discharges – a £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.
This builds on £3.1 billion to improve storm overflows from 2020 - 2025.
This government has been clear that we expect industry to prioritise action on the environment, deliver a resilient and sustainable water supply, and significantly reduce the use of storm overflows which were only ever meant for emergency use.
This is absolutely vital for customers and the environment, both now and in the future.