Thérèse Coffey ‘complacent’ in dealing with water companies, peers say

The Lords committee criticised the ‘dismissive brevity and complacent tone’ of Coffey’s department. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Thérèse Coffey has been “complacent” in dealing with water companies, risking water shortages as well as extreme environmental consequences, a House of Lords committee has said.

In a letter to the environment secretary, the peers criticised her department’s “dismissive brevity and complacent tone” in response to their report published earlier this year, which found water companies had been too focused on maximising financial returns at the expense of the environment.