# Water industry bonus ban to be tightened as Ofwat warns of ‘damage to public trust’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/water-industry-bonus-ban-to-be-tightened-as-ofwat-warns-of-damage-to-public-trust/
- Published: 2026-11-12T07:30:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T08:03:37+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/12/water-industry-bonus-ban-tightened-ofwat
- Topics: Business, Companies, World

## Key points

- Ofwat will accelerate a review of water company executive pay rules.
- Nine firms face bonus bans for 2025-26.
- The regulator says alternative payments could undermine public trust.

## Summary

Ofwat plans to speed up a review and tighten England and Wales’s water company bonus rules, warning that alternative payments to executives risk damaging public trust. The move follows concerns that firms are using retention awards and higher base pay to replace bonuses banned after public anger over sewage pollution.

Nine companies were barred from paying bonuses for 2025-26, including Thames Water and Anglian Water; seven bans related to environmental pollution. Ofwat criticised Anglian over retention payments of up to £800,000 for chief executive Mark Thurston and cited potential awards at Thames, Northumbrian and United Utilities. It said the bans prevented £6.5m in executive payments, and the review will consider whether payments from parent companies should also be covered.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.