Major new laws to crack down on water bosses polluting Britain’s rivers, lakes, and seas have been created in the most significant increase to enforcement powers in a decade.
The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 will give regulators new powers to increase the ability of the Environment Agency to bring criminal charges against water executives who break the law. It will create new tougher penalties, including possible imprisonment, for water executives who obstruct investigations, and give Ofwat the power to ban payment of bonuses to water bosses if they fail to meet high standards to protect the environment, their consumers, and their company’s finances.
Other measures in the Act include automatic penalties to allow regulators to issue penalties more quickly, without having to direct resources to lengthy investigations. It will also introduce independent monitoring of every sewage outlet, with water companies required to publish real-time data for all emergency overflows. Discharges will have to be reported within an hour of the initial spill.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Polluting water bosses will no longer be paid undeserved bonuses. And if they break the law over water pollution, they could end up in the dock and face prison time.
“This is just the beginning. The Independent Water Commission will report back later this year to shape new laws that will transform our water system so we can clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good.”
