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Water (Special Measures) Act 2025: Enforcement
20 January 2026
Lead MP
Tom Gordon
Harrogate and Knaresborough
LD
Responding Minister
Emma Hardy
Tags
Economy
Word Count: 14429
Other Contributors: 20
At a Glance
Tom Gordon raised concerns about water (special measures) act 2025: enforcement in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Tom Gordon calls for proper enforcement of the Act and for water companies to be genuinely held accountable with measures such as freezing bonus payments and ensuring public benefit interest over corporate shareholder responsibilities.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The Water (Special Measures) Act was meant to strengthen regulation, but since its introduction in October 2025, Yorkshire Water received a red rating from the Environment Agency for serious pollution incidents that had almost tripled in 2024. Despite this, customers have been asked repeatedly to pay more while receiving less service.
Mid Sussex
Ms Bennett criticised the current ownership model of water companies, advocating for mutual public benefit companies instead. She expressed disappointment with the Government's White Paper on water reform.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Expresses concern over Thames Water's attempt to secure investments by polluting waterways for up to 15 years, suggesting Ofwat should reject such deals.
South Devon
Shares details about raw sewage discharge into Harbourne river from storm overflows at Harbertonford waste water treatment works and demands accountability for South West Water's actions.
Catherine Fookes
Lab
Monmouthshire
Addressed the issue of water outages and sewage dumping in Monmouthshire, Wales, with 2,383 incidents reported in 2023. She supported the Water (Special Measures) Act that bans bonuses for water company bosses and could impose criminal charges if necessary. Welcomes the White Paper reforming Ofwat, mentions £9.7 million paid in executive bonuses and benefits between 2022-23.
Neil Hudson
Con
Epping Forest
Mr Hudson praised the Conservative Government’s achievements in monitoring storm overflows and introduced measures to ban bonuses for executives involved in serious pollution incidents. He criticised the current Government for not supporting amendments that would have increased accountability.
Roz Savage
LD
South Cotswolds
She supports the idea of upstream intervention in water company ownership and suggests models like mutual or public-benefit ownership are more effective.
Emma Hardy
Lab
Kingston upon Hull East
Expressed sympathy for residents impacted by water company issues and highlighted the need for compensation. Emphasised the importance of customer panels, clear communication, and preventing problems before they occur.
Gideon Amos
LD
Taunton and Wellington
Highlights the failure of Wessex Water, including excessive bonuses for executives despite criminal convictions and environmental damage. Calls for better enforcement of regulations. Supports reform for communities affected by poor water quality, advocating investment and stricter enforcement against parent company payments.
Iqbal Mohamed
Ind
Dewsbury and Batley
Notes that there were at least 346 sewage dumps in local waterways, lasting over 1,000 hours, and highlights failures to maintain pipes or design the system correctly.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Compliments Tom Gordon's party for their work on water issues and agrees that private companies should be tied to doing the right thing for public interest, supporting the freezing of bonus payments as a penalty.
Joe Morris
Lab
Hexham
He highlights the importance of the River Tyne to his community and expresses concern over the unregulated sewage dumping, which has undermined the river's health and local economies.
John Milne
LD
Horsham
Adds Southern Water to the list of disaster companies with a 20-year issue in Rudgwick where residents have complained about effluent backing up into bathrooms and bills increasing from £262 to £702 over a decade.
Josh Newbury
Lab
Cannock Chase
Highlights the public outcry and subsequent cancellation of Thames Water's compensation package after being grilled by Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee members.
Liz Jarvis
LD
Eastleigh
Grants constituents' anger over a 53% rise in water bills at Southern Water, despite the CEO's £1.4 million pay package and repeated sewage leaks into rivers.
Stratford-on-Avon
Agrees that water management data must be transparent and the Government must introduce monitoring of volume, not just duration, of sewage overspills.
Mims Davies
Con
East Grinstead and Uckfield
Discussed multiple water outages affecting her constituents in East Sussex, Kent, and Mid Sussex. She highlighted the impact on local hospitals during a norovirus crisis and the need for compensation due to service disruptions. Mims Davies urged the Minister to ensure leadership and structural change within South East Water. Expresses sorrow for Mike Martin's constituents and highlights the problem of inaccurate information provided by South East Water. The MP raises concerns about compensation for businesses affected by water outages and questions the new chief engineer's role in clarifying communication from South East Water.
Carmichael
LD
Inverness Nairn Moray
Raises suspicion about the true intentions behind bonus recoupment practices at Thames Water, suggesting a need for more effective regulation. Asked about the Department's appeal in a first-tier tribunal regarding information disclosure to Democracy for Sale and questioned whether it is appropriate for DEFRA to defend such cases where Thames Water benefits.
Tiverton and Minehead
Raises concerns about two water companies not responding promptly to community issues, leading to businesses like bakeries having to shut down due to flooding.
Sarah Gibson
LD
Chippenham
Describes similar issues with Thames Water in her constituency, suggesting a need to take the situation more seriously.
Tom Gordon
Con
Harrogate and Knaresborough
Acknowledges the involvement of community groups like the Friends of French Weir Park that have had to step in due to systemic issues. Summarised the debate, noting examples of water company failures and systemic issues shared by Members across the House.
Government Response
Emma Hardy
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Government Response
The Government are introducing once-in-a-generation reforms to the water system with tough oversight and accountability. This includes an MOT-style approach for water companies’ pipes and pumps, no-notice inspection powers, and a new chief engineer role. The reforms also involve performance improvement regimes, dedicated supervisory teams, mandatory water efficiency labelling, accelerated roll-out of smart meters, regional planning, senior accountability to ensure direct responsibility of bosses for service quality.
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.