"Today's announcement is a sad reflection on much of the water industry, and news about refunds will provide cold comfort to customers frustrated by poor service, environmental performance, and higher bills overall. Pollution and wasted water continue to threaten rivers yet these should be the challenges that are easiest to solve.

"In addition to financial impetus, we need a complete culture shift in the water industry from companies and regulators to get on top of this fast. Then we can turn our attention to the more complex sources of pollution coming off our land in rural and urban areas, such as from agriculture and transport. It's absolutely vital to work with nature across our river catchments to recover healthy rivers which will underpin thriving communities."

Tessa Wardley, Director of Communications & Advocacy

Read Ofwat’s Water Company Performance Report here: Ofwat calls on water sector to improve its performance after companies fall short on targets