Forum Topic

Thames Water bill outrage

Just had mine - £320 for a half year!! It's rocketed up since last year, and all they've done is pump more sewage in the Thames, and pay more bloated bonuses and dividends to the off-shore fat cat billionaire owners!Grrrrr.

Davey Harris ● 23d14 Comments

“ Thames Water's Chief Financial Officer, Alastair Cochran, stepped down in March 2025, not forced to resign but leaving his £1.3 million-a-year role as the company underwent a financial restructure and struggled with debt. Cochran had also served as interim chief executive and was instrumental in securing a £3 billion deal and laying the groundwork for a £3 billion recapitalisation. His departure was abrupt, though no official reason was given, with Stuart Thom taking over as interim CFO. ”

Steve Taylor ● 19d

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHWyaa9i4lL/

Steve Taylor ● 19d

If you think that nationalisation would improve their performance, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.

Richard Greenhough ● 19d

I remember attending an investor day for one of the large water utility companies (not Thames water).  I was impressed with the sustainability initiatives the company had deployed but I still remember just how much the CFO was at pains to emphasise that Labour and nationalization were threats to the organisation.  In the case of Thames Water it's clearly a case of failure on all fronts.

Matthew Swain ● 19d

I agree.

Joy Skinner ● 19d

They should nationalise the lot and with no compensation, just fines for malpractice.

Davy Jones ● 19d

It’s irrelevant how many people are employed in the same sector. If you check the LinkedIn profiles of senior staff leaving the failed Thames Water you will find  that nearly all have jumped ship and joined companies that aren’t affiliated to water utilities. It’s desperation. One can speculate about the quality of the management remaining. Who would want to work for a company so badly run and repeatedly charged with environmental breaches.

Steve Taylor ● 20d

How many people are employed by companies in the same sector?  Plenty.  So it isn't really that odd. A monopoly with a growing and assured customer base like water just should never have been privatised in a global market.  It was a sitting duck for vulture companies.

Philippa Bond ● 20d

Was disgusting to see senior staff shrug off the sewage discharges into the river and seemingly laugh about it. Also some staff in the documentary no longer with the company. Seems the ship is sinking fast. The last captain didn’t stay very long. Also find it abhorrent that Thames Water take on ex M. Director of the toothless OFWAT and appoint to the executive. Desperate??

Steve Taylor ● 21d

Two episodes of behind the scene at Thames Water.https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00284vt

Philippa Bond ● 22d

Did you watch the documentaries on Thames Water?  They sre worth watching if they are still available.  All our tap water has been treated to drinking water standard but we use it for absolutely everything. I find that the hot water runs cold for long enough to fill a large empty plastic milk container with a handle and a lid.  Easy to carry to water the sapling in the street outside!  We very much miss the tree it replaced which kept our homes shaded and cooler and would hate to lose this one in this long dry period.I understand that a local Friends of the Earth some time ago helped their members to install water butts to save rain water.  I know there was an experiment done by a university where they installed water butts to the new houses down one side of a new road and then compared the water usage between the homes on the two sides of the road and those using water butt water to water their gardens and wash their wellies etc.  It was much lower.  All new houses BTW are required to have water meters.

Philippa Bond ● 22d

I don't want to upset anyone but as they say, PRIVATISATION THE SYSTEM THAT KEEPS ON GIVING, may be not to the bill payer but certainly to the share holders!

Nicholas Beard ● 22d

Thames Water has been fined GBP122. 7 million after two investigations into wastewater and dividend payments, in the largest penalty Ofwat has ever issued, the regulator said. (May 2025)

James Roy ● 22d

Water should be free, never will be but it should.

Janice Evans ● 23d