Employees from Thames Water work to shut off a broken water main in London in July 2012. The U.K. Environment Agency announced Friday that the company was responsible for several incidents of pollution in 2024. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
The British government announced Friday that water company pollution issues in England have seriously jumped, to 2,801 incidents in 2024 from 2,174 in 2023.
In a press release, the U.K. Environment Agency, or EA, said that it conducted more than 4,000 inspections of water company assets and found that 24% of sites examined last year were deemed noncompliant.
Any water company found to be noncompliant will face enforcement actions, the agency said.
According to the EA, three water companies were responsible for 81% of occurrences in 2024, and that all nine water and sewage companies in England combined for what it deemed to be overall deficient performance.
The EA declared that of the 81% pollution offenses in 2024, the most are linked to Thames Water, which was found responsible for 33 of them. Southern Water caused 15 and Yorkshire Water, 13.
EA Chairman Alan Lovell announced in the press release that “We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account.”
“With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law,” he added.
The Water [Special Measures] Act, which was signed into law in February, gives the EA more power to act against any water companies found responsible for pollution. One measure currently under consideration would be to fine such companies to repay any money spent on enforcement.
