United Utilities: Banned bonus for FTSE 100 CEO revealed Business 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? Business 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 [...]
Thames Water: What next after KKR walks? Transport and infrastructure Thames Water was dealt a crushing blow this morning after its preferred bidder, the US private equity giant KKR, abruptly withdrew from its pursuit of the embattled utility. The decision leaves the UK’s largest water supplier without a buyer and puts it back on the brink of administration. It follows just a week after it [...]
Pennon Group: FTSE 250 water firm swings to loss after parasite scandal June 3, 2025 Pennon Group, the British utility firm which owns South West Water, swung to a loss in the latest financial year after struggles driven by the Brixham water supply scandal. The FTSE 250 company made a loss of £35.1m for the year, which the firm said was in line with management expectations. It marked a steep [...]
Anglian Water gets £500m boost after criminal investigations May 23, 2025 Anglian Water has received a £500m boost from its shareholders just days after it was revealed it is facing a raft of criminal investigations. The company, which operates in the East of England, is owned by the Osprey Consortium which is made up of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Colonial First State and Industry Funds Management. [...]
Record 81 criminal investigations opened into water firms May 20, 2025 Over 80 criminal investigations into water firms have been launched since the general election, which if proven could leave bosses facing five years in jail and firms on the hook for hundreds of millions of pounds, the environment watchdog has said. The Environment Agency has used new powers handed to it by the government to [...]
United Utilities: Profit rises significantly as water bills hiked May 15, 2025 Profit at United Utilities jumped significantly ahead of the FTSE 100 giant hiking water bills for its more than seven million customers, it has been revealed. The Warrington-headquartered firm, which serves customers in the North West of England, has also proposed an increase to its final dividend of 4.2 per cent to 34.6p. The company [...]
Pennon Group records loss after parasite scandal March 31, 2025 Pennon Group, the British utility firm which owns South West Water, said in a trading update this morning that the costs of last year’s Brixham water supply scandal had forced it into a loss in the second half of last year. The water company said lower customer demand and inflationary cost pressures were offset by [...]
Water firms look to increase bills amid fears of £400m National Insurance hit December 8, 2024 Water companies are hoping billpayers will carry the cost of a £400m hit from rising national insurance contributions over the next five years, previously announced in the Autumn Budget. The accumulated cost to all water firms’ in England and Wales comes to £80m per year, water industry sources told the Sunday Times. Firms have now [...]
Yorkshire Water hikes dividend despite pollution remaining ‘too high’ November 29, 2024 Yorkshire Water, which serves more than five million customers across the region, has hiked its dividend during the first half of its financial year despite pollution levels remaining “too high”. The provider paid out dividends totalling £37.5m in the six months to 30 September, 2024, up from the £17.7m during the same period in 2023. [...]