Divided response to report

Environmental campaigners and consumer groups have offered sharply contrasting responses to a landmark report calling for an overhaul of the water industry in England.

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Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said public trust in water companies had been “drained” by poor environmental performance and wider service failures.

Mr Keil said: “The commission has set out significant changes to the regulatory system.” He added affordability must be a key focus of reform, with households already struggling following this year's sharp rise in water bills. “More people are turning to CCW to complain about not being able to afford their bill,” he said. “The case for a single social tariff for water has never been more urgent.”

River Action chief executive James Wallace accused the commission of falling short, saying it had “blinked” when faced with a chance to break with the past. “This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset a broken and corrupted system,” he said. “Instead, we've been handed vague policy nudges that leave the current failed privatised water company model intact.”