Recommendation 17

We asked the witnesses about water companies’ current environmental performance. Ofwat and the EA are taking enforcement action against every wastewater company for their management of combined sewer overflows. Water quality pollution incidents have increased.47 WildFish highlighted failures in regulation in its written submission, while in its written submission the Office for Environmental Protection set out failures to comply with environmental law by Defra, the EA and Ofwat.48 The EA told us that the sector will be spending around £12 billion on storm overflows in the next five years, but this will only fix 44% of the overflows, and Defra acknowledged the work would be “long and expensive”.49 44 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.4, 2.8 45 Q 42 46 C&AG’s Report, para 14 47 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.3, 1.14 48 WSR0001, WSR0007 49 Q 105 14 As we reported in June 2025, mismanagement of wastewater and sewage is a serious public health concern and heightens the threat of anti-microbial resistance.50 The EA told us that the original deadline for meeting the Water Framework Directive had been 2015, and that work was being undertaken now because it had “run out of delay time”.51