Serious pollution by water industry remains high despite £5bn investment

The environmental performance of water companies fell again last year despite industry investment, according to the first joint report by the regulators into the industry.

Eight of the nine water companies in England were rated as "poor" or "requiring improvement", with only Severn Trent receiving the highest rating.

Companies were praised for their continued provision of high-quality drinking water and reducing service disruptions.

But the chair of the environmental regulator said the results showed the industry continued to "fall well short of the standards rightly demanded by both us and the public".