Wessex Water told to improve as it scrapes 2-star rating 

Salisbury’s Wessex Water customers today learn that the utility provider has dropped from an industry leading 4 stars to just 2 in its Environment Agency performance rating. This largely relates to the number of pollution incidents last year.

Despite hitting target in all other metrics, Wessex Water scored ‘red’ for its number of pollution incidents. This is significantly below target and puts the company at a 2-star rating (requiring improvement). 

This is the third time Wessex Water has had a 2-star rating in the history of the EPA. In 2024 it was responsible for 215 pollution incidents – 89 more than the previous year. None of these were classed as serious.  

Ed Lockington, the Environment Agency’s water industry regulatory manager for Wessex, said, “It is disappointing to see Wessex Water lose its industry leading 4 star rating after just a year. But excelling in all metrics except number of pollution incidents shows how high expectations are.  

“Driving down the total number of pollution incidents will go a long way to meeting that expectation again.” 

However, criteria have been regularly tightened over the years to reflect rising expectations for water company performance, so the bar is higher than ever. Based on current criteria we can see a steady trend of improvement since 2011—but these results mark a dip in that trend. 

Serious incidents—those causing significant environmental harm—have increased by 60% compared with 2023. Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water were responsible for 81% of these serious incidents, while Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water recorded none. 

Access to more data than ever before, and increased monitoring and inspections, allow for a clearer understanding of water company performance – and following the latest star ratings, the EA has urgently called for a fundamental shift in culture and behaviour across the sector. 

The Environment Agency inspected 422 Wessex Water sites and assets last year – 35% more than targeted - and is committed to doubling the number of site and asset inspections by April 2026 as part of its overall goal of 10,000 inspections.    

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said, “This year’s results are poor and must serve as a clear and urgent signal for change. 

“What is needed now from every water company is bold leadership, a shift in mindset, and a relentless focus on delivery. 

“We will support them however we can but will continue to robustly challenge them when they fall short.” 

The report cites a number of factors for the decline in performance, including the wet and stormy weather in 2024, underinvestment and poor maintenance of infrastructure, and also increased monitoring and inspection.  

To ramp up its regulation the EA is investing in 500 additional staff including environment officers, data analysts, enforcement specialists and technical experts, as well as team leaders and managers. It has developed new digital systems and significantly increased the number of water company inspections—in 2024/25 the EA delivered over 4600 water company inspections and is on track to deliver 10,000 in 2025/26. 

The EPA has been released on the same day as Ofwat’s Water Company Performance Report, reflecting the regulators’ commitment to a more integrated and transparent approach to water sector regulation. 

The Environment Agency has recently announced that existing EPA criteria will be tightened, and new criteria introduced, to meet higher public and environmental expectations.