99.97% of tap water tests passed. 2,991 pollution incidents did not
What happened
On 29 October 2026, four regulators published a joint report on the water industry for the first time. The four are the Environment Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat. Each already publishes its own annual report. Until now, if you wanted the full picture, you had to read all of them and work out how the pieces fitted together. The new document is called Water Industry Performance Insights. It pulls the four bodies' evidence into one view. The findings split neatly into good and bad. On the good side: 99.97% of drinking water tests met the required standards. Internal sewer flooding, meaning sewage backing up into homes and businesses, has fallen by 43% in recent years. Supply interruptions improved across the sector. Leakage is down over the long term. On the bad side: there were 2,991 pollution incidents across England and Wales in 2025, including 84 classed as serious. The Environment Agency's star ratings for environmental performance fell again, to 16 stars out of a possible 36 across the sector. Ofwat's own assessment for 2025-26 found ten companies good or on track, and seven off track, with eight carrying an 'improving' tag. Household water use was 137.3 litres per person per day, similar to the year before.
Why this matters
There are two separate questions here, and they get muddled constantly in public debate. The first is: is the water coming out of my tap safe to drink? On the evidence in this report, yes. A pass rate of 99.97% across the testing regime is high, and Marcus Rink, Chief Inspector at the Drinking Water Inspectorate, called it a record the industry should be proud of. The second is: what are water companies doing to rivers and seas? That answer is much less comfortable. Nearly 3,000 pollution incidents in a year, 84 of them serious, and a sector-wide environmental rating that keeps falling, is not a good picture. Both things are true at once. Treating drinking water to a high standard and managing wastewater badly are different jobs, done by different parts of the same companies. This matters for health in an indirect but real way. Sewage in rivers and at beaches affects people who swim, paddle, fish or work on the water. Internal sewer flooding is both a health hazard and, for the households it happens to, genuinely distressing. The 43% fall in that figure is one of the more meaningful improvements in the report. It also matters for your bill. Companies have committed over £104 billion of investment for 2025 to 2030, and that money ultimately comes from customers.
What the evidence actually says
The regulators are not claiming the industry is doing well overall, and it is worth quoting them on that. Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said water quality is good but that performance on wastewater and pollution is still falling short, and that the agency will step up inspections and enforcement. Helen Campbell, Interim Executive Director for Delivery at Ofwat, said some companies are stepping up but progress is inconsistent, and that 'poor performance continues in too many places'. Ceri Davies, Chief Executive of Natural Resources Wales, said progress has been made in some areas but there is more to do. On enforcement, the Environment Agency has concluded 73 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies since 2015, with fines totalling over £172 million. Two numbers in the report deserve a closer look. The star rating of 16 out of 36 is a sector total, not an average company score. Each company is rated from 1 to 4 stars, so the maximum across the group would be 36. Sixteen means most companies are sitting at the lower end. The environmental improvement figure looks better than it reads at first: 93.7% of planned actions were completed on time. But 142 of 2,254 planned actions were not delivered at all. Both facts come from the same dataset, and which one you lead with tends to depend on what you are arguing. Separately, the government has said the Environment Secretary is committing to take further action against water bosses over pollution, announced the same day.
Practical advice
Drink your tap water. On this evidence it is held to a very high standard, and bottled water is not safer by default. It is simply more expensive and produces more plastic. If your water looks, smells or tastes wrong, contact your water company straight away. They are obliged to investigate. Discoloured water after mains work is usually temporary, but it should still be reported. If you experience sewage flooding inside your home, report it immediately to your water company and to your local council's environmental health team. Do not clean it up without gloves and proper precautions, and do not let children or pets into the affected area. If you swim outdoors, check bathing water quality for your spot before you go. The Environment Agency publishes classifications and pollution risk forecasts for designated bathing waters in England. If you are struggling with your water bill, ask your supplier about their social tariff. Every company has one, they are not well advertised, and eligibility is broader than most people assume. There is also the WaterSure scheme for households on certain benefits who use a lot of water for medical reasons or because they have several children. That last point is worth repeating. If someone in your household has a medical condition that means high water use, WaterSure can cap your bill. A surprising number of eligible households have never heard of it.
What to know
On 29 October 2026, the Environment Agency, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat published their first joint Water Industry Performance Insights report. Drinking water performed well: 99.97% of tests met required standards. Internal sewer flooding fell 43% in recent years, and supply interruptions improved. Environmental performance did not. There were 2,991 pollution incidents in England and Wales in 2025, 84 of them serious, and the sector's environmental star rating fell to 16 out of a possible 36. Ofwat rated seven companies off track and ten good or on track. The Environment Agency has concluded 73 prosecutions since 2015, with fines over £172 million. Companies have committed more than £104 billion of investment for 2025 to 2030. The useful household takeaways: tap water is safe to drink, report anything that looks or smells wrong, check bathing water quality before swimming outdoors, and ask your supplier about social tariffs or WaterSure if bills are a struggle. Sources: GOV.UK, 'Regulators publish first joint report on water industry performance, giving the public a clearer picture of company performance', 29 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulators-publish-first-joint-report-on-water-industry-performance-giving-the-public-a-clearer-picture-of-company-performance ; GOV.UK (Environment Agency), 'Water and sewerage companies in England: environmental performance report for 2024', https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2024/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-for-2024 ; GOV.UK (Environment Agency), 'Water and sewerage companies in England: pollution incident report for 2016 to 2024', https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-pollution-incident-report-for-2016-to-2024/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-pollution-incident-report-for-2016-to-2024 This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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