Ofwat raises serious concerns over five water firms’ sewage treatment works

Ofwat said it had ‘identified shortcomings in most water and wastewater companies’. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Rex/Shutterstock

The water regulator Ofwat has serious concerns over the way sewage treatment works at five water companies have been operated, as it continues to investigate the industry.

Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water submitted reports in December that the regulator, Ofwat, said were worrying. It said on Wednesday it had started enforcement cases against all five companies.