The environment secretary, Steve Barclay, is to block payouts to executives of firms that are polluting rivers, lakes and seas, starting with bonuses in the 2024-25 financial year from April.
In an industry first, Thames Water has disclosed the volume of sewage discharge, revealing that 14.3 billion litres of sewage was discharged into the Thames River last year alone
Water firms are only supposed to spill after heavy rain to prevent the system from backing up and flooding, but a report suggests they have been discharging sewage on some of the driest days of 2022