Serious water pollution incidents rose by 60 per cent last year with three companies responsible for the majority of them, the Environment Agency (EA) have said.
The latest data from across England showed that Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water were behind 81 per cent of cases, but added that there had been “consistently poor performance” across all nine water companies.
Meanwhile, just two companies - Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water - had no serious incidents last year, meeting the Environment Agencies expectations to see a trend to zero pollution incidents by 2025.
Thames Water accounted for 33 of 75 serious incidents recorded by the EA - more than a third of the total.
Overall, the watchdog said all pollution incidents increased by 29 per cent, with water companies recording 2,801, up from 2,174 in 2023.
Every year, the EA assesses pollution incidents from water firms into categories, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) being the most serious.
The EA, who have come under fire for their own oversight of pollution performance from water companies, said they were “particularly concerned” about the rise in spills from pipes carrying wastewater uphill.
Reasons behind the 2024 results were given as persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience due to the impacts of climate change.
Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency said: “This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets.
“The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does.
“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.”
Meanwhile, MPs have said the system of regulating water companies needs “a complete overhaul” as the sector hikes customer bills to expand failing infrastructure and tackle pollution.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the government must act with urgency to strengthen oversight of the sector to rebuild trust and ensure its poor performance improves.
In a report released on Tuesday, the committee highlighted how bills are expected to rise at their fastest rate in 20 years while customer trust in the sector is at an all-time low.
The EA has also been handed its largest ever budget for tackling pollution, with a cash injection of more than £189m for this financial year.
The Environment Department (Defra) said the money will help to fund more enforcement officers, improved equipment and the latest technology.
The regulator will carry out more than 10,000 inspections of water company assets this year and has launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water company pollution incidents since July 2024.
A Water UK spokesperson said: "While there have been some improvements, it is clear that the performance of some companies is not good enough.
"This is finally being put right, with a record £104 billion investment over the next five years to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
"However, fundamental change to regulation is also needed. We hope that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission next week will ensure the sector continues to get the investment it needs to drive down pollution incidents."
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