Latest rates rise prove Ofwat is "rubber stamp for failure" as £3.4bn added to water bills

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

Responding to the news that water companies have been given Ofwat's permission to increase bills for customers by an extra £3.4bn, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, Tim Farron MP, said:

"Once again, billpayers are set to be rinsed for using an essential resource thanks to a useless regulator. Ofwat is merely a rubber stamp for failure. Hardworking families are being forced to cough up another £3.4 billion to fix a broken water network that greedy executives have neglected for decades.

“How many times do we have to call for the toothless Ofwat to be scrapped before the Government actually do it? They made the commitment, but they can't seem to follow through. It is a total disgrace to reward this environmental vandalism. There must be no more blank cheques for failure.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

BBC coverage here