The key facts
- Eight of England's nine water companies rated 'poor' or 'requires improvement'
- Only Severn Trent received the highest rating
- Drinking water quality and fewer service interruptions were noted as strengths
Worsening despite investment
The environmental performance of England's water companies declined again last year, despite investment in the sector. This is stated in the first joint report by the industry's regulators, as reported by BBC News. Eight of the nine water companies received a rating of 'poor' or 'requires improvement', and only Severn Trent earned the highest rating.
What was achieved
The companies were recognised for reliably supplying the population with high-quality drinking water and for reducing service interruptions. However, as the chair of the environmental regulator assessed the results, the sector continues to 'fall well short of the standards that we and society rightly demand'. Since the report is the first joint document by the regulators, it sets a common baseline for comparing the companies' performance in the years ahead; details of the BBC publication were still being updated at the time of writing.
