The water companies are calling for greater clarity on the government’s overall priorities and targets for the water sector – according to Water UK, “without more clarity on the specific goals the government wants delivered, there is a high likelihood that vital investment will be deferred in favour of short-term pressures.”

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation has found that errors in the construction of a drainage system were the primary cause of a fatal train derailment at Carmont in Aberdeenshire last year.

Anglian Water has gone out to tender with an AMP7/8 framework contract for asset management specialist consultancy services worth an estimated £10 million.

Nicky Fomes, Regulation and Strategy Consultant, Affinity Water, says that the company welcomes the government’s Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat – but challenges remain and a “mature conversation” is needed about how household bills are paid and investment phased.

The National infrastructure Commission is warning that climate change will continue to increase the risk of flooding and pressure on flood risk management and drainage infrastructure - highlighted by recent surface water flooding events over the summer.

Ofwat has flagged up a number of areas where the water companies will need to strengthen their existing approach to asset management maturity.

Samotics, a leading provider of AI-driven industrial analytics for asset performance management, has been selected for a 12-month trial by United Utilities Group PLC, one of the UK’s largest water and wastewater companies, to improve the reliability and efficiency of its operations.

UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) is seeking help from both academics and asset management experts to take on a critical piece of research that helps improve future investment decisions in the water sector.

In an Expert Focus article for WaterBriefing, HUBER Technology’s Kevin Ockwell discusses why a proactive maintenance strategy is key to maintaining and enhancing asset health, extending asset life and delivering on operational performance during AMP7.

Over three days in August, Ham Baker was invited by Thames Water to present a full day’s awareness training course to their Trunk Sewer Operations team, to help them understand the fundamentals of Penstocks and to deploy a more proactive approach to maintaining this critical asset base used to control and regulate wastewater and sewerage in the Thames network.