Bonuses to water company bosses rose this year to £9.1m - despite record sewage discharges and financial woes at some utilities. Executives from English and Welsh water firms received a total of £9,126,858 in the 2023/2024 financial year, up from £9,012,777 a year earlier, according to analysis of company filings done by the Liberal Democrats.
Under current rules, water companies can discharge sewage from storm overflows, but only during periods of heavy rain and under strictly permitted conditions. Meanwhile, the UK's biggest water provider Thames Water faces nationalisation with experts saying the company is 'uninvestable' as shareholders pull their investments, while its holding firm has defaulted on some of its £16bn debt pile.