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?
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If you value independent political journalism that holds power to account — without corporate or party influence — please consider supporting this work. Even £1 helps keep it going.
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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.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
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:
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.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
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?
🧡 **Support Vox Political**
If you value independent political journalism that holds power to account — without corporate or party influence — please consider supporting this work. Even £1 helps keep it going.
👉 Support here via Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
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.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Sewage, secrets and sentences: are crooked water bosses finally sunk?
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?
🧡 **Support Vox Political**
If you value independent political journalism that holds power to account — without corporate or party influence — please consider supporting this work. Even £1 helps keep it going.
👉 Support here via Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
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.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
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.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
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?
🧡 **Support Vox Political**
If you value independent political journalism that holds power to account — without corporate or party influence — please consider supporting this work. Even £1 helps keep it going.
👉 Support here via Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
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.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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