Ofwat declared that, as part of its investigation into utilities’ management of wastewater treatment plants, it had filed enforcement cases against four further companies.
The “detailed analysis” of the environmental performance of the enterprises and the frequency of their wastewater spills from storm overflows led to the opening of the investigations.
This investigation “heightened Ofwat’s concerns” that the four utilities might not be carrying out their duties to safeguard the environment and minimize pollution.
Ofwat said on Tuesday morning that Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Hafren Dyfrdwy, Severn Trent, and United Utilities are the companies that are now being inspected.
They join Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South West Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water, and Yorkshire Water as businesses that have been the subject of investigations since 2022. Ofwat continues to monitor Southern Water in the wake of an enforcement case from 2019.
It coincides with heightened scrutiny of water providers about sewage spills and contamination, as well as their own financial standing and future rate increases.
According to an analysis of official Department for Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs data, untreated sewage discharges doubled from 1.8 million hours in 2022 to a record 3.6 million hours in 2023. Similarly, figures from the Environment Agency showed that sewage was dumped into rivers, lakes, and beaches that were designated as “safe to bathe in” an average of 86 times per day in 2023.
