Water Giant's Pollution Targets Called Unrealistic

The chief executive of Thames Water has conceded that the company's mandated performance targets for pollution and leakage are "not realistic" and "not achievable." He indicated that even with significant investment, meeting certain levels of leakage reduction is beyond the company's capability.

While Thames Water successfully treats 99.5% of the 4.3 billion litres of waste it handles daily, the CEO acknowledged room for improvement in pollution incidents. He expressed doubt about reaching zero pollution, calling the prospect "very, very slim." The company supplies 16 million customers across London and southern England.

Regulatory bodies like Ofwat maintain that water company targets are designed to be ambitious, driving better outcomes for customers and the environment, especially with a fifth of supplied water lost to leakage. The Environment Agency stated its expectation for Thames Water to comply with the law and vowed to hold companies accountable.

Campaign groups have criticized Thames Water's approach, highlighting the daily leakage of 570 million litres of treated drinking water. They propose placing the company into special administration and transitioning it to a public utility rather than continuing the current privatized financial model.