The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed a record total of 81 criminal investigations into water companies have been launched in England since the election, as part of the Government’s crackdown on sewage dumping.
Defra says this new operation, spearheaded by Environment Secretary Steve Reed, amounts to the largest criminal action against water companies in history.
The number of inspections carried out by authorities into sewage pollution has skyrocketed by nearly 400% since last July.
The record number of Environment Agency spot checks at water company premises and rivers has revealed widespread law-breaking. Over 80 criminal investigations have been launched against water companies over the last nine months, a surge of 145% since the election.
Following these investigations, water bosses could be jailed for five years and water companies fined hundreds of millions of pounds, which Defra hopes will act as a powerful deterrent.
| Water Company | Investigations (Jul 24–Mar 25) |
| Anglian Water | 22 |
| Welsh Water | 0 |
| Northumbrian Water | 1 |
| Severn Trent Water | 7 |
| South West Water | 4 |
| Southern Water | 5 |
| Thames Water | 31 |
| United Utilities | 7 |
| Wessex Water | 0 |
| Yorkshire Water | 4 |
| TOTAL | 81 |
Commenting on the figures, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:
“Water companies have too often gone unpunished as they pump record levels of sewage into our waterways. No more.
“A record number of criminal investigations have been launched into law-breaking water companies – which could see bosses behind bars.
“With this Government, water companies who break the law will finally be punished for their disgraceful behaviour so we can clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.”
Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said:
“This milestone is testament to our determination to hold water companies to account and achieve a cleaner water environment.
“Our message to the industry is clear: we expect full compliance throughout the water system, and we will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action where we identify serious breaches.
“This is just the beginning – we are on track to deliver 10,000 inspections next year, using our tougher powers gained through the Water (Special Measures) Act alongside more officers and upgraded digital tools to drive better performance across the water sector.”
When a water company breaks the rules of its environmental permit, that is a criminal offence—for example, releasing excessive pollution into a river or failing to carry out water quality monitoring.
The Environment Agency says it follows up on every offence it finds. The most serious offences, like illegal sewage spills, trigger a criminal investigation that could see water company fines and criminal prosecution for water bosses. The Environment Agency has also taken a zero-tolerance approach to identify and resolve over 1000 minor issues last year like unclogging pipes to deliver immediate improvements to local communities and the environment.
To drive forward this surge in action, the Environment Agency has hired 380 additional regulatory staff to carry out inspections and other enforcement activity.
New powers, delivered by the Government’s landmark Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, also mean water executives who cover up or hide illegal sewage spills can now be locked up for up to two years.
The Environment Agency is also currently carrying out its largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water companies at over 2000 sewage treatment works.
Seven cases against water companies are going to court over the next few months following criminal investigations by the Environment Agency.
