South East Water boss David Hinton resigns Water The chief executive of South East Water, David Hinton, resigned from the embattled utility today, after presiding over one of the scandal-hit industry’s most notorious supply failures. Hinton was in charge during a series of outages in Tunbridge Wells and Kent in November and December 2025. There were more outages last January. As the firm struggled [...]
Will Thames Water’s latest rescue package pass muster? Opinion Thames Water’s latest rescue package has been designed to fend off the public’s criticism of the way the company has been mismanaged. In a statement, Thames Water said the new detail would comprise £6.6bn of new debt – including £3.3bn accessible on day one of the rescue plan being implemented – which will be provided [...]
Thames Water creditors offer ‘best and final’ rescue funding deal Water Thames Water’s creditors have offered a “best and final” offer deal involving new debt and equity in a bid to prevent it from falling into a special administration regime. Investment behemoths Elliott Management, Silver Point Capital, Invesco, PIMCO and other creditors behind the consortium London & Valley Water have presented Ofwat, the water regulator, with [...]
South East Water in spat with watchdog after £22m fine March 5, 2026 South East Water has entered a heated spat with the water regulator after it was hit with a £22m fine. The water firm’s fine covers multiple supply interruptions in Kent and Sussex between the period of 2020 and 2023, effecting more than 286,000 people. Ofwat said its investigations into the water firm found it had [...]
Water firms to get ‘MOT checks’ in regulatory overhaul January 20, 2026 Water companies are set to receive “MOT checks” on the quality of their infrastructure in a fresh regulatory overhaul aimed at preventing crumbling pipes, mishandled sewage and unreliable services. Utilities businesses will receive “health checks” to assess the quality of pumps and pipes by a new water regulator set to be introduced under the government’s [...]
Rachel Reeves tells creditors to resolve Thames Water crisis September 1, 2025 Rachel Reeves has called for a “market-based solution” to be found at Thames Water before the company is put into special administration. The Chancellor reportedly sent a letter to creditors of Thames Water to state that any solution must result in a “successful turnaround”. Her letter came after environment secretary Steve Reed said the government [...]
Thames Water’s cash crunch intensifies as bailout rumours swirl August 15, 2025 Thames Water faces a race against time to avoid collapse even after securing a short-term cash injection. The UK’s largest water company is set to run out of money as soon as September 2026 should it fail to secure a financial lifeline in the form of a recapitalisation deal. The utility company said the second [...]
Ofwat to be scrapped in sweeping water reforms July 21, 2025 Ofwat is set to be abolished and replaced by a “single, powerful regulator” aimed at cutting water pollution and protecting families from higher bills, the government has revealed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said operations conducted in England by Ofwat will be merged with the Environment Agency, Natural England and [...]
United Utilities: Banned bonus for FTSE 100 CEO revealed June 23, 2025 The amount top bosses at FTSE 100 giant United Utilities are set to lose in bonuses – after the water giant was named as one of six to be banned from handing out the payouts – has been revealed. Earlier this month, new measures in the Water (Special Measures) Act come into force which prohibited utility [...]
Is the government right to ban water company bonuses? June 6, 2025 It is safe to say the water industry is not in the government’s good books. Decades of underinvestment and mounting debt have led to a sewage spill crisis, sparking immense public outrage. Thames Water, the UK’s largest water supplier, has come to symbolise the sector’s woes as it teeters on the brink of administration. US [...]