Thames, Yorkshire and South West Water bosses refuse bonuses over sewage spill

Bosses astatine 3 of the UK's h2o companies person decided not to instrumentality their yearly bonuses aft wide nationalist disapproval implicit sewage pollution.

Thames Water's Sarah Bentley said it did not "feel right" to instrumentality the bonus, on with South West Water's Susan Davy and Yorkshire Water's Nicola Shaw.

The BBC has contacted the 8 different large h2o companies to spot if they volition travel suit.

Campaigners person called for each UK h2o steadfast CEOs to waive their bonuses.

Ms Bentley received a £496,000 bonus past twelvemonth portion Ms Davy was handed £522,000. Ms Shaw has lone precocious joined Yorkshire Water but past twelvemonth it paid retired £878,000 successful bonuses to directors.

Thames Water said its main fiscal serviceman Alastair Cochran would besides diminution his bonus.

In 2022 the Liberal Democrats urged the British authorities to prohibition bonuses for h2o institution bosses until sewage offences stopped.

It said the numbers were "obscene" fixed 1,000 sewage spills a time were recorded successful 2021.

Those figures person lone got worse - Thames Water was past twelvemonth named arsenic among the worst performing companies for polluting waterways by regulator Ofwat.

In March a House of Lords committee said h2o bosses should not person bonuses portion targets were being missed and the situation was being polluted.

It besides criticised Ofwat, for failing to guarantee companies had invested capable successful infrastructure.

The authorities has said it is making h2o companies put £56m to modernise infrastructure, overmuch of which is decades old.

Thames Water said it was spending £1.6bn to modernise its sewage infrastructure and grow its squad of leak engineers.

"Nevertheless, the turnaround program is not yet wherever I privation it to be... against this backdrop it simply doesn't consciousness close to instrumentality my bonus this year," Ms Bentley said.

But the unit is connected Thames Water. In March it was told by the Environment Agency (EA) to hole h2o leaks arsenic portion of its plans to tackle drought problems.

South West Water has faced akin levels of criticism. Last period it was fined a grounds magnitude of much than £2.1m aft it admitted causing contamination successful Devon and Cornwall.

And successful November it was told to "urgently address" the interaction of discarded h2o discharges by Cornwall Council by curbing bonuses and dividends alternatively than expanding costs to consumers.

The institution said the wealth Ms Davy would person received would alternatively spell straight to customers via a shareholder strategy oregon beryllium taken arsenic a recognition connected their bill.

Annual reports from Yorkshire Water amusement Ms Shaw could person received up to £800,000 if the institution met its show targets for the year.

"I recognize the spot of feeling astir the issues linked to stream wellness which is wherefore I've decided that this twelvemonth I won't beryllium accepting a bonus," she said. "This is the close happening to do," she added.

The determination by the 3 main executives has been welcomed by the Consumer Council for Water.

Chief enforcement Emma Clancy said: "Bonuses adhd to people's existent vexation with the h2o manufacture and they would similar overmuch much openness and transparency connected this issue."

But the Clean Rivers Trust said a nationwide overhaul of the sewage strategy was needed to header with the increasing population.

"Sewers that are discharging are having to instrumentality acold much sewage arsenic location gathering continues and the strategy can't cope," manager Harvey Wood said. "The sewer strategy successful this state is shot."