Thames Water’s performance last year was nothing short of disgraceful.
The Environment Agency gave the company just one star — the lowest rating possible — marking it out as the worst performer among England’s nine major water and sewerage firms.
This isn’t a one-time stumble. A review of the EPA star ratings since 2011 shows Thames Water crumbling from three stars down to two, and now one.
Back in 2011 the company scored three stars. By 2016 it was down to two stars. According to the ratings tables the trend has been steadily downward.
Last year the number of serious pollution incidents increased sharply.
In 2024 Thames Water alone was responsible for 33 such incidents — more than any other firm and a huge jump from its previous toll.
In total the sector recorded 75 major or significant pollution events, up 60% on the year before, and 81% of those were down to just three firms including Thames Water.
Raw sewage spills, untold hours drained into rivers and unrepaired infrastructure all point to a company operating on the edge of collapse.
The EA noted that “wet weather”, “under-investment” and “poor maintenance” played a role. But it added that weather excuses “are never acceptable” when infrastructure simply fails to deal with turning skies.
Thames Water serves some 16 million customers in London and the south-east. Its network is sprawling.
But sheer scale offers no excuse for environmental ruin.
Among the horrors: an increasing trend of wastewater pipes discharging uphill into protected waters.
These flows accounted for around 20% of serious incidents in 2024 — chalk streams, rivers and wildlife habitats were polluted.
As the star rating system shows, the company used to sit above average.
Back in 2012 it achieved three stars. Now one star tells a story of decline, erosion of trust and mounting environmental damage.
The number of total pollution incidents across the sector is rising — and Thames Water is dragging the statistics down.
Customers, taxpayers and wildlife have all been let down.
Sewage into rivers, infrastructure failures and regulatory warnings — the signals are flashing red.
With ratings at the lowest since the system began in 2011, the EA message is clear: improvement isn’t optional, it’s overdue.
Thames Water gets one star for performance appeared first on Energy Live News.