Your morning reminder of exactly how deeply the water industry is in the sh*t.

Holy sh*t…. 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

"11 executives jailed over Italian PFAS pollution." Don't want to be giving the @watershed-i.bsky.social team any ideas or anything but....? www.chemistryworld.com/news/11-exec...

"UK oysters and mussels hit by ‘disgustingly high’ number of sewage spills." Now about that seafood salad I was thinking of having for lunch? 🤔

"Nightmare 'smelly' village where locals stuff duvets down toilets so sewage doesn't bubble up." You have to admit it's right up there with "don't swim in the sea with your mouth open." Yes, people were actually told that.

So exactly 16 days after govt introduced bans on 6 water companies paying bonuses, including @SouthWestWater fat cat CEO Susan Davy of South West Water fame gets paid nearly £200,000 in shares bonuses. That didn't take long then. As I said at the time, nothing but performative politics.

Would that be the same @SouthWestWater fat cat boss who was just given £237,000 in shares as a 'long-term' bonus bringing her total annual salary up to £860,000? Of course it would. Oh, and whatever did happen that ban on bonuses?

"SNP in humiliating u-turn over sewage spills after rivers and beaches marred by waste The Scottish Government was warned by its own environmental watchdog that it was breaking the law by not setting out when sewage could be spilled into rivers and beaches." Meanwhile north of the border. 🤔

Beginning to suspect if I play this anymore this morning the family are going to come and lock me in the shed. Eat Quiche, Sleep, Repeat #getdown_services

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... water company has confirmed one of its treatment works was the source of pollution that killed thousands of fish in a Cornish river." I see @SouthWestWater are up to their old tricks again.

"Thames Water risks sinking free market dream. Until those of us who still believe in a streamlined state can say how to fix the utility’s failings, the case for privatisation rings hollow."

So all that guff about the water industry 'investing' £104bn, which is actually your money not theirs, well turns out the whole thing is just another load of hopeless old nonsense. Transpires they don't have enough engineers or skilled staff to build much of anything. Who knew. 🤔

I have to say it's an astonishing good listen. 😀

Has your local MP watched this, why not?!

Mentioning United Utilities can anyone explain how a company can double its profits in just one year, from £170m to £355m, and yet is still be allowed to increase prices by a whopping 32%? Yet again it's the customers who get played and the regulator @Ofwat sits back and allows it to happen.

"Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water fined £250,000 for sewage pollution." That of course would be the same Welsh Water who have already been found guilty of 234 environment offences in the last 10 years alone and paid £628,298 in fines. Really, what is the point? www.itv.com/news/wales/2...

“Thames Water renationalisation plans being stepped up”. Tick tock, tick tock….. All totally predictable, all should have been dealt with a year ago. Meanwhile prolonged dithering has cost bill payers how much?

“Labour accused of copying Tories with plans to clean waterways with company fines.” Appears govt have run out of ideas already, well that didn’t take long.

“Privatised water never worked. Now it might be over.” Anyone that disagrees feel free to raise your hand. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

So apart from wanting to be exempt from environmental laws and to have any current or future fines wavered @thameswater now also want the right “to raise prices at any time before 2030”.

"This cannot continue indefinitely." Residents demand answers from @anglianwater.bsky.social as roads close due to leaks and sinkholes – and thousands more homes are planned. Report by Owen Sennitt, Local Democracy Reporting Service #WaterWoes

"Regulators have pushed hard to keep bills down, and politicians have, as ever, wanted a version of cakeism: lower bills, more investment and more capital maintenance. Regulators have made some pretty catastrophic mistakes, .....

After months of evidence gathering and countless hearings the House of Commons @CommonsEFRA select committee pulls no punches and gives the water industry and regulators both barrels. committees.parliament.uk/publications...

The CommonsEFRA are particularly scathing of Ofwat's and EnvAgency's performance. "Not only has the regulatory system failed to protect water resources from such irresponsible leadership, but it also lacks oversight over critical elements of it."

UK water industry needs ‘root and branch reform’, MPs say." Pretty comprehensive pasting of the industry and regulators. Once again, bravo to the @CommonsEFRA for getting to the nub of the issue and telling it like it is. Impressive stuff and very welcome. 👏👏👏 www.ft.com/content/2b61...

"Water industry is ‘deaf’ to crisis facing sector, warn MPs." But what will govt's response be I wonder? More of the same fiddling around the edges while desperately trying to ignore the real issues? www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

"Water sector needs ‘root-and-branch’ reform, MPs say." It appears MPs agree. We were promised a root and brach review of the water industry, where is it? As I said last week, we were promised champagne now all we're getting is sour milk. www.cityam.com/water-sector...

"UK Lawmakers Take Swing at Irresponsible Water Company Leaders." And a well deserved swing it is to. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

"Report says billpayer funds are being used irresponsibly". The @CommonsEFRA committee's damning report get lots of coverage this morning and rightly so.

www.theguardian.com/business/202... yes, @Ofwat 's magic money tree which apparently makes the water industry worth £106 BILLION. The actual price, close to nothing.

"I see little alternative to forcing the company into administration". Tom Utley gets it, how come govt are still blind to the reality?

"It may be time for the Treasury to hold its nose and take the plunge." Long overdue I'd say/ @thameswater.bsky.social heading towards bankruptcy.

For those that guessed Ratcliffe on Soar, respect, you win. 👏👏👏 I was on my way to Nottingham to speak to the Barbel Society annual conference which was a real treat. And thank’s to everyone at the society for the utterly fabulous Fred Crouch Award. Total surprise and truly, truly honoured. 😎

All hail @privateeyenews.bsky.social 😎

Holding people to ransom. Thames Water bidders demand immunity over environmental crimes. TW has over 187 criminal convictions; allowed to negotiate fines, dump sewage in rivers, hike bills, underinvest. Immunities for TW will be demanded by others. End the circus. Let TW crash. Nationalise.

"More than 2,000 complaints of sewage dumping made in Scotland." Meanwhile north of the border. 🤔

"Bidders demand Thames Water granted immunity over environmental crimes." So these are the kind of people we are dealing with. If you don't grant us immunity from prosecution we won't buy the company.

Why oh why oh why are govt still regurgitating this utterly discredited number?

"It is not stewardship when the ship has been sold off and the crew left to drown." Hear hear that man. Very well said. 👏👏👏 Clive Lewis discussing govt's so called "largest ever", so called review of the water industry.

Still the best thing in Telegraph

Ofwat have finally and truly lost its mind. except it's not a fine at all. The money will be actually used for "improvements to the region's water infrastructure", in other words NW will spend the money doing the job people pay them to do. 🤬 Really, what is the point?

So here's how it works. TW's badly maintained, broken, underinvested sewage works can't cope so it regularly floods dumping sewage into the surrounding countryside, feet deep, including your house, causing £20,000 worth of damage. How does TW respond? Why the offer you £30 compensation. Nice work.

I'll just park this here shall I. 🤦‍♂️ wcl.org.uk/follow-cunli...

@windrushwasp.bsky.social Please continue to post on Bluesky

Can anyone explain to me, ie, show me irrefutable proof that this stuff actually does anything to “boost water quality for fish and river life”?

Now about the fraud that’s being committed against the environment and every single person in the country by water companies, how you getting on with that fraud?

"Labour has launched a galling attack on nature." Appears @BenGoldsmith are in total agreement, again. Well said sir. 👏👏👏

LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE! "This is the largest penalty Ofwat has ever issued," screamed the headlines. Blatantly, and I suspect deliberately not true, it's a lie.

Thames Water hit with record £123m fine. Beware of the OFWAT spin. £104.5m fine for sewage dumping was announced on 6 Aug 2024. £18.2m fine for breach of dividend rules was announced on 19 Dec 2024. Companies allowed to negotiate fines. Can't end abuses without ending the profit motive