Regulators have identified more than 3,000 environmental breaches by water companies, following a record year of inspections.
The Environment Agency (EA) said it had completed more than 10,000 checks of water company assets in the past year, including inspections of treatment works, sewage pumping stations and storm overflows.
Inspection teams uncovered more than 3,000 permit condition breaches, where companies are failing to comply with environmental legislation.
The EA issued more than 3,000 demands for improvements to water companies, including repairing sewage works and upgrading infrastructure.
The agency said breaches could include equipment failure, effluent not meeting water quality standards, not treating the required amount of wastewater or failing to manage the water and sewage network in line with permit requirements.
It comes as more funding and 500 additional staff have allowed the Environment Agency to undertake far more inspections, up from 4,600 in 2024/2025 to more than 10,000 this financial year.
And the EA suggests its greater scrutiny of water companies is having an effect on making them manage their assets more responsibly, with 22 per cent of site visits uncovering at least one issue this year – down from 25 per cent the previous year.
Helen Wakeham, director for water at the Environment Agency, said: “In our role as regulators of the water industry, we are changing how we operate – with better data, record levels of new staff and greater powers to do our job effectively.
“Inspections are a vital preventative measure, with our teams issuing over 3,000 individual actions to water companies, including repairing sewage works and upgrading infrastructure.
“Together, this will drive meaningful improvements in performance, hold persistent offenders to account and ultimately create a cleaner water environment.”
Water minister Emma Hardy added: “Thanks to our investment in the Environment Agency, inspectors are out in force, checking water company assets at unprecedented levels and taking action where standards aren’t met.
“This greater oversight of water companies coupled with our long-term reforms will prevent problems before they occur and ensure serial offenders are punished, ensuring a healthy, sustainable water system for the future.”
James Wallace, chief executive of campaign group River Action, said water companies had discharged more than 1.8 million hours of sewage into rivers, lakes and seas in 2025, while most of England’s 35 inland bathing sites were unsafe for swimming.
“It is good to see the Government getting serious about water quality, but inspections alone will not fix the problem.
“With prosecutions taking years to reach court and fines far too low, water polluters are not being properly held to account.
“The upcoming Water Reform Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset the system.
“The government must take back control of water company ownership and ensure bill payers’ money cleans up rivers, not investor pockets,” he urged.
