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RARE PHOTOS: 2 - The Real Truth

Households in England and Wales must splash out more as water bills to rise by 5.4%

Average bills to go up again in April, with Ofwat approving record spending plans amid outrage over sewage spills

The Guardian - UK

Household water bills to rise by average 5.4% from April

Ofwat has allowed water firms to increase bills by 36% between 2025 and 2030.

Evening Standard

Customer complaints over water bills surge by 50% in England and Wales

Number of households complaining rises to 16,000 in 2025, with Southern Water the biggest target

The Guardian - UK

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Water winners: who will gain from the industry’s spending spree in England and Wales?

As Labour shakes up regulation, suppliers are finally investing – but face problems such as contractor shortages and inflation

The Guardian - UK

FTSE 100 Live 20 January: European stocks slump on Trump tensions, dollar weakens

The UK’s unemployment rate has stayed at the highest level for nearly five years, fuelled by deepening jobs woes in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Evening Standard

Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul

Exclusive: Campaigners claim changes will let companies ‘off the hook’, as government prepares to unveil new white paper for water industry

The Guardian - UK

Water companies face biggest overhaul in a generation as new regulator unveiled

A chief engineer will also sit inside the new water regulator for the first time in two decades

The Independent UK

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Water companies to undergo ‘MOTs’ as plans for new regulator to be unveiled

Ofwat will unlikely be formally axed before 2027, and the process to establish the new regulator will be complex.

Evening Standard

Troubled waters: How the UK’s water companies became a national disgrace

Outages in Kent and Sussex this week became the latest in a long list of breakdowns in the UK’s creaking water system. Harry Cockburn asks how Britain can solve its utilities crisis

The Independent UK

Water finally restored to some of 30,000 customers hit by week of disruption

South East Water has faced intense criticism from MPs and the public

The Independent UK

South East Water boss lasting weeks in post would be a surprise

David Hinton looks unlikely to claim five-year retention award but why did the board feel a need to offer it?

The Guardian - UK

South East Water: Who owns the supplier that’s landed in hot water?

Like many UK utilities firms, South East Water has a complicated ownership structure with multiple streams of largely foreign investment.

Evening Standard

South East Water boss in line for £400,000 bonus despite outages

Exclusive: David Hinton, who faces calls to resign, will receive payout regardless of performance if he stays until July 2030

The Guardian - UK

South East Water could have licence revoked amid fears water supply issues could take days to resolve

Thousands of properties in Kent and Sussex left without drinking water for the sixth day running

The Independent UK

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Evening Standard

Ofwat launches probe into South East Water over supply outages

The regulator said it will investigate whether the supplier has complied with its customer service standards obligations.

The Guardian - UK

South East Water could lose operating licence after outages in Kent and Sussex

Fine of 10% of annual turnover among other potential penalties as environment secretary calls for Ofwat review

The Independent UK

‘How can they expect us to pay more?’: Anger as crisis-hit Tunbridge Wells water firm boss says higher bills needed to stop shortages

South East Water has appealed against the water regulator decision to raise bills further

Evening Standard

Water bosses recalled to appear before ‘sceptical’ MPs over December outages

A Parliamentary committee has recalled company bosses over the incident before Christmas, as thousands remain without water in a new supply failure.

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Evening Standard

Regulator ‘concerned’ as 25,000 properties still without water in two counties

South East Water (SEW) has blamed this latest supply failure on Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts.

The Independent UK

Send army into Tunbridge Wells to fix water crisis, Starmer told

It is the second time in two months that Tunbridge Wells has been affected by outages

The Independent UK

‘My village’s water supply is so bad I can’t leave the house without having to fill up water bottles’

A Kent resident said she fills her bath and kettle with water in case she comes home to find she has no mains water amid shortages

The Guardian - UK

Wessex Water bosses handed £50,000 in extra pay despite Labour government’s bonus ban

Utility admits parent company paid CEO Ruth Jefferson and CFO Andy Pymer but denies bonus payments

The Guardian - UK

Former Wessex Water boss received £170,000 bonus despite ban on performance pay

Company owners say bonus was unrelated to water business and complied with ban after pollution conviction

The Independent UK

Wessex Water to pay £11m towards wastewater upgrades after Ofwat investigation

The investment means the firm with around 2.9 million customers in the South West avoids having to pay a fine.

The Guardian - UK

Refinancing is delayed at Thames Water. If Ofwat is playing hard, it should keep going

Discussions are ‘taking longer than expected’, which may mean regulator is tearing chunks out of creditors’ proposal

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