Water regulator Ofwat is in the High Court today in Manchester in a Judicial Review brought by campaign group River Action which argues that Ofwat acted unlawfully because its approach has potentially allowed water companies to charge bill payers twice for the same infrastructure improvements that should have been carried out years ago.

Ofwat has agreed to a request from Thames Water to further defer the referral of its PR24 Final Determination for the water company to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for a re-determination until 22^nd October 2025.

River Action has been granted permission by the High Court to proceed with a legal challenge against water sector Ofwat for a full court hearing to challenge the approach the regulator took when it set the amounts that water companies can charge their customers at the 2024 Price Review.

Ofwat has told the Competition and Markets Authority “we stand by our PR24 determinations” as the competition regulator begins the process of examining requests by five water companies to review Ofwat’s decisions on their AMP8 business plans.

The Competition and Markets Authority has published the first submissions from Ofwat and the five water companies for 2024 Price Review appeals, alongside a significant list of submissions from other stakeholders and a detailed timetable for the redeterminations.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has today published a highly critical report saying that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and water regulators have failed to drive necessary investment for the sector, which now faces significant environmental, supply and infrastructure challenges.

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has requested an extension of six months to the process that will see it redetermine the price reviews for five water companies.

Ofwat has formally referred the requests from five companies for a redetermination of their PR24 Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The referral commences the six-month period which the CMA has to consider appeals (subject to any request for an extension).

Anglian Water’s Board has asked Ofwat to refer its PR24 Final Determination to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) - its AMP8 Business Plan was one of the largest infrastructure proposals in the sector, totaling £11.2 billion.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has written to Ofwat to confirm its acceptance of the water sector regulator’s Final Determination of the Price Review for its AMP8 2025-2030 business plan.