If awareness levels remain the same as in Scotland, businesses in England could be set to miss out on up to £2 billion in potential savings when the non-household retail market opens for competition in 2017, according to research conducted by Clear Business Water.

New research suggests that the impact of introducing household retail competition in the water sector could lead to pressure on existing cross-subsidies provided by incumbent companies to more vulnerable customers, if more higher margin households switch suppliers.

The Government is planning to introduce new legislation to make economic regulators work better , open up markets and promote competition.

Ofwat’s Chief Executive has flagged up major changes coming to the UK water sector, including the need to move towards making greater use of markets.

In an Expert Focus article for Waterbriefing, Mark Hodgens, managing director at Talis UK, asks whether increased pressure on water companies to improve their reputation and customer relationships as a result of market reforms will lead to a more efficient network.

The House of Lords last night succeeded in making an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill onSustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) following its rejection in the House of Commons on Tuesday 3rd May.