(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat today opens the second round of its Water Efficiency Lab (WEL2) competition, which offers up to £5m (£1.5m per winner) for tools to tackle customer-side leakage. The regulator explained that leaks in homes and businesses (from both internal plumbing and external supply pipes within property boundaries) account for 1-1.5bn litres of water a day – around a quarter of all water lost to leaks in England and Wales. This costs customers £1-1.6bn a year. In

(by Karma Loveday) S&P has downgraded South East Water (SEW) debt to BB+ from BBB-, with negative outlook. At the same time, the ratings agency revised its standalone credit profile on SEW down to bb from bb+ and assigned a recovery rating of ‘3’ to SEW's debt, reflecting its expectation of 65% recovery in the event of a default. S&P explained that SEW’s weak operational performance, caused by supply interruptions, has materially worsened its profitability, despite strong rev

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat is consulting until 10 September on its implementation of the Outturn Adjustment Mechanism (OAM) – a PR24 mechanism to recalibrate investor returns in the event there is systematic out or underperformance across the sector. The OAM is triggered when there is a significant difference between the sector's outturn returns and what was expected. Under current arrangements, this is where the performance of median companies passes a threshold of 50bps impa

(by Karma Loveday) The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation will have powers to plan, fund and deliver water infrastructure. That’s according to Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary under secretary for housing, communities and local government, who last week spoke in a House of Lords debate on the future of Cambridgeshire and the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation. Multiple peers raised water supply and wastewater capacity constraints as fundamental challen

(by Karma Loveday) Vast differences in the complaints performance of different retailers persisted in 2025-26, according to the Consumer Council for Water’s (CCW) annual Business Customer Complaints Report. Smaller suppliers put in the best (ADSM, Source for Business, Water for Business) and worst (Clear Business Water, SES Business Water) performances. Of the big four retailers, Wave and Business Stream performed the best (see chart). Across the market, complaint numbers to

(by Karma Loveday) Exactly one year on from the publication of the Independent Water Commission report which recommended the formation of a new super regulator, Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union members at Ofwat wrote to new environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle calling for urgent clarity over their future. The letter stated: “We are not opposing reform. We are asking for workforce matters relating to reform to be transparent, credible, fair and deliverable.

(by Karma Loveday) Skewb has opened registrations for the operations challenge it is running at the International Water Association’s World Water Congress, taking place in Glasgow on 4-8 October. Instead of the usual drilling and tapping challenge, the team has opted for a modern, digital and inclusive alternative. Four teams of three will go head-to-head to manage a simulated storm water flooding event in Glasgow – with evolving risks and issues – in a one-hour challenge. Th

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat is consulting until 10 September on a new Water Governance Code that would require at least half each water company board, excluding the chair, to be “demonstrably independent”. This is part of ongoing work under the Water Special Measures Act to restore trust in water. Other proposals in the Code included: Independent non-executive directors (INEDs) and chairs would not be allowed to simultaneously sit on both a water company board and its parent co

(by Karma Loveday) The Environment Agency is to take criminal proceedings against Southern Water and a number of former employees for historic wastewater offences, following a judgement by the Administrative Court. Former chief executive Matthew Wright and three others – Philip Barker, Clive Massey and Mark Gregory – will face a charge of conspiracy to defraud, a common law offence carrying a maximum ten-year prison term. It is alleged that between 1 January 2012 and 31 Decem

(by Karma Loveday) Echoing the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, the Aldersgate Group has called for a new National Water Strategy and for this to be delivered through new Regional Water Authorities within a much tidier and clearer regulatory framework. The Group – a multi-stakeholder alliance championing a competitive and environmentally sustainable economy – has published a new report, The business case for a national water framework. This is cognisant of