The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a final decision imposing fines totalling more than £2.7 million on a number of water tank firms for a cartel to share the market by dividing customers among themselves, to fix prices of tanks and to rig bids for contracts between 2005 and 2012.

Water company investment on totex was 8% below forecast in 2015-16, according to Ofwat – the water industry regulator said it does not expect companies to continue under-spending to this extent in the remaining four years of AMP6.

Southern Water was fined a record £2 million at Maidstone crown court yesterday for flooding beaches in Kent with raw sewage – the highest fine ever imposed on a UK water company.

Ofwat has today published its final determinations for the price review 2016 (PR16), in preparation for the opening of the retail water market for the business, public and charity sector in April 2017.

The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) the independent economic regulator of Irish Water, has told the water company to reduce its planned operational spend by €128 million and capital spend by €136 million over the next two years.

Water industry regulator Ofwat has written to the 17 largest water companies in England and Wales setting out its expectations and approach to pre-consultation engagement for the Water Resources Management Plans 2019.