It's time to get tough on Thames Water

I’ve long said Thames Water is letting our community down with unaffordable bills and raw sewage in our rivers.

After months of pressure, the company has finally paused its executive bonus scheme. This came only after widespread public outcry and scrutiny from MPs like me. But let’s be clear that this is the bare minimum, not a breakthrough.

These bonus payments would have totalled over £1 million at a time when Thames Water is drowning in over £14 billion of debt and still responsible for almost 300,000 hours of sewage discharges in just the past year.

Locally, residents are furious. You’ve told me about repeat flooding, delayed repairs, and the heartbreak of seeing the River Kennet and River Lambourn, two of only 200 chalk streams in the world, treated like open sewers. These waterways are rare ecological treasures and deserve so much better.

I’ve raised these concerns directly with Thames Water’s senior team and co-signed a cross-party letter urging the Government to place the company into special administration, a legal process used to stabilise failed businesses and bring in proper independent oversight.

I’m also calling for Ofwat, the current water regulator, to be replaced. It has failed to hold companies like Thames Water to account and has allowed pollution, poor planning, and unjustifiable bonuses to go unchecked for too long.

This is about accountability, transparency, and protecting our environment for future generations. I’ll keep standing up for Newbury and West Berkshire, because our chalk streams and communities deserve better.