EDM 6: Thames Water price rises

That this House expresses anger at Thames Water’s customers’ water bills increasing by an average 23% over the next five years; welcomes Ofwat’s decision to not allow Thames Water’s proposed price hike of £191 to go ahead wholescale; calls on Ofwat to go further and use its existing powers to crackdown on large water bill rises; condemns Thames Water for discharging sewage into waterways for 196,414 hours last year, a 160% increase on 2022; notes that Thames Water spent over £30 million across their network, in the last financial year, on tankers used to clean up sewage spills in roads, gardens, and homes; asks the Government to tackle sewage dumping by introducing a Sewage Tax on water company profits and setting legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping into bathing waters and highly sensitive nature sites; further notes that Thames Water announced an increase in annual profits to £157.3 million in their annual report; urges Thames Water to prioritise public good over profit and environmental policy objectives in their day-to-day running; and implores the Government to implement a ban on water company executive bonuses until sewage discharges end.