Ofwat confirms £44m enforcement order for Welsh Water

(by Verity Mitchell)

Ofwat has confirmed the £44m enforcement order against Welsh Water. This final decision follows consultation after the announcement on 12 March, that Welsh Water breached its legal obligations to adequately maintain and upgrade its wastewater network and treatment plants. Ofwat concluded that the senior management and board had failed to ensure that the assets were performing satisfactorily. There had been insufficient monitoring processes and oversight in place.

The amounts remain unchanged. £40.6m will be spent on reducing spills at specific combined sewer overflows and investigating and sealing the private sewer network to reduce groundwater infiltration. £4.1m will be spent on improving river water quality at particularly sensitive catchment areas. The work will not be funded by higher bills and must be completed during AMP8.

Ofwat has now agreed seven enforcement orders worth £300m across the sector.