The water industry regulator has accused the majority of water companies of “falling short” on the 2020-25 performance measures. 

According to Ofwat's latest company performance report, seven companies are said to be are “lagging” on their targets: Anglian Water, Dŵr Cymru, Southern Water, Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Bristol Water and South East Water.

In addition, 10 companies were placed in the “average” category, with none able to achieve the “leading” stage. 

The report is published annually by Ofwat and judges the companies’ performance in relation to a series of metrics, including pollution incidents, customer service and leakage. As a result of the poor performance, companies have been ordered to pay £114m back to customers. The money will be discounted from household bills over the next year.