We're taking action to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
The public have long had enough of the chaos and neglect which has plagued our water sector.
That's why we're taking action to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Our plan includes new legislation to make sure water bosses are properly held to account where they are failing to protect our precious environment and deliver for their customers.
New legislation to clean up our waterways
As an immediate first step to cleaning up our waterways, we've introduced a new bill to strengthen regulation and put water companies under tough special measures.
This new bill represents the most significant increase in enforcement powers in a decade and will see regulators take tougher and faster action when water companies fall short.
It will give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives.
What does the Bill do?
This Bill means:
- Increases in the Environment Agency's ability to bring forward criminal charges against law-breaking water executives, including imprisonment of up to two years for water executives who obstruct investigations.
- Bans on the payment of bonuses to executives of polluting water companies unless they meet high standards.
- Severe and automatic fines for polluting, so regulators can issue penalties quickly, without having to conduct lengthy investigations.
- Independent monitoring of every outlet, with water companies required to report all pollution spills within an hour of them starting.
Compensating customers
We want to make sure customers are properly compensated when their basic water services are disrupted.
We've launched a consultation on measures that would mean water companies need to provide compensation payments to customers if they can't provide a sufficient service.
Proposals include approximately doubling compensation payments and broadening the range of circumstances when payments can be triggered - including when boil notices are issued.
Have your say on our plans here.
Cutting sewage dumping and upgrade infrastructure
We have set out new measures to cut sewage dumping and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
They include ringfencing funding for vital infrastructure investment, so that it is only spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. Any money that isn't spent will be returned to customers.
We will make sure water companies place customers and the environment at the heart of their objectives in their company rules. And customers will be able to hold water company bosses to account through new customer panels with powers to summon board members for questioning and make sure they are meeting customer obligations.