Water Company Performance Reporting
Understanding water company performance
The Environment Agency publish reports to help customers, stakeholders and the public understand how water companies are performing.
Communities, businesses and the environment depend on water companies' essential services. Regulators assess company performance across a range of areas, including environmental protection, drinking water quality, water resources management and customer service.
On 29 October 2026, a coordinated package of reports was released, each providing a different but complementary view of water company performance.
The publications include:
Together, these reports draw on regulatory evidence, environmental monitoring, company reporting and performance assessments to identify areas of progress, continuing concerns and priorities for further action.
Reports differ in remit, methodology, assessment criteria and reporting period and should be read in that context. Where evidence identifies poor performance or non-compliance, the responsible regulator will set out the action it is taking or expects the company to take.
For each publication, you can:
Understand what the report covers.
Read the headline findings.
View key performance facts.
Access the full report on GOV.UK.
Understand the action expected from regulators and companies after publication.
What is being reported - at a glance
Water Industry Performance Insights
A joint report by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat providing an overview of water industry performance across England and Wales.
Water and sewerage companies in England: environmental performance report 2025
The Environment Agency's annual environmental assessment of England's nine water and sewerage companies, including Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) results.
Water only companies in England: environmental performance report 2025
The first published Environment Agency report dedicated to the environmental performance of water only companies in England.
Water resources 2025 to 2026: analysis of the water industry's annual water resources performance
An assessment of company performance against commitments within Water Resources Management Plans and the actions needed to improve water resilience.
How we hold water companies to account
Water companies are legally required to comply with environmental legislation and the conditions of their permits. Where they fail to do so, we take a robust, evidence-led approach to enforcement, using the full range of regulatory and enforcement powers available to us.
We assess the seriousness of each breach, its environmental impact and the available evidence, and will take appropriate action where companies fall short of the standards expected. This can include investigations, enforcement action and prosecution where warranted.
The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 has further strengthened the regulatory framework, increasing accountability for both water companies and their senior leaders. We also share performance information with Ofwat to support wider regulatory action, including decisions on performance-related pay.
Water companies are required to publish annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans, setting out how they will reduce the number and severity of pollution incidents and improve environmental performance.
We also work with other regulators to share intelligence, identify common issues across the sector and support joined-up action where company performance falls short.
Working closely with the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Ofwat, we are strengthening regulatory oversight across the sector and using all available levers to drive environmental improvement, secure compliance and deliver better outcomes for people, communities and wildlife.
