to have polluted more than any other water firm in 2023, yet continues to give executives bonuses, raise bills and pay out dividends to shareholders., United Utilities failed to stop the illegal pollution of Windermere for 10 hours in February this year and did not report the leak until 13 hours later.
Environment Agency statistics published in March revealed United Utilities dumped the highest number of sewage spills per “storm overflow”, with 45.4, releasing waste for more than 650,000 hours in 2023. Meanwhile, United Utilities’ consumers’ bills are set to increase by 7.8 per cent between 2023/24 and 2024/25, from £446 to £481 a year.In recent years, the company has consistently paid out dividends to shareholders, despite concerns over the amount of sewage being released by the company.