They polluted our rivers. They lined their pockets. They lied to regulators. Now, at long last, they might go to jail. But are crooked water bosses finally sunk?

New laws coming into force in England and Wales could see water company executives face up to two years in prison for obstructing investigations into illegal sewage spills.

It’s a long-overdue step — but is it more headline than hammer?

Under the new powers, water company bosses can be jailed for up to two years if they:

• Obstruct investigations into sewage spills,

• Refuse to co-operate with regulators,

• Or fail to hand over vital evidence.

The move follows growing public outrage over repeated sewage discharges into rivers, lakes and coastal waters, and years of inadequate regulation.

A damning new report from the National Audit Office says water firms have been allowed to get away with this for too long. And it doesn’t just blame the companies — it points the finger squarely at:

• Defra,

• The Environment Agency,

• The Drinking Water Inspectorate, and

• Industry regulator Ofwat.

Between them, these bodies have allowed:

• Weak oversight,

• Underinvestment in infrastructure, and

• The unchecked payout of bonuses and dividends, all while pollution increased and customer bills rose.

Let’s not forget: water companies are privatised monopolies.

They’re allowed to self-monitor pollution — and some have been caught deliberately misreporting data.

Meanwhile, execs pocketed bonuses and shareholders collected dividends, even during periods of environmental law-breaking.

As River Action put it: “Consumers are paying the price for regulatory failure and corporate greed.”

Campaigners have welcomed the new powers — but remain sceptical.

James Wallace of River Action says unless actual prison sentences are handed down, this is just “theatre”.

And he’s right to be cynical: not a single executive has been fined or jailed to date, despite extensive evidence of wrongdoing.

The system failed. Now it’s on trial too.

The government says it’s setting up an independent commission to review how the sector is run.

Water UK says it welcomes change — and even supports ending the system where companies police their own pollution.

But the question remains:

Will these new powers be used?

Or will this be another case of too little, too late?

For years, we’ve paid higher bills while being poisoned by privatised polluters.

Now, at last, some of those responsible might be held to account.

But until we see handcuffs, not just headlines — we should remain sceptical.