Thames Water’s chief executive has blamed too much rain for a massive increase in sewage leaks just days after introducing a hosepipe ban affecting millions of Britons.
Chris Weston, CEO of the ailing water company, stated the network managed by the firm was unable to cope with the downpours witnessed last year.
The firm has previously been criticised for giving large bonuses to senior executives despite debt and falling standards.
It has reported a 34.3 per cent rise, leaving the number of pollution incidents totalling 470.
Weston was today confronted by MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee in Westminster over the results.
Committee chairman Alistair Carmichael asked the Thames Water CEO: “Not a particularly happy story this morning on overflow is it? Your report indicates you had ‘too much rain’ leading to overflows a week before you put us into a hosepipe ban?”
Weston responded: “I know, and I’m sorry about that. But the weather, I’m afraid, is a reason, not an excuse.”
Last winter was the second wettest winter on record, and Weston blamed some months of last year, like September, during which the rainfall was double the normal monthly rainfall.
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|The Thames Water bosses spoke in front of the EFRA Committee
He said: “Our system was never intended to deal with that.
“We are taking huge steps to improve our position around pollution; we are cleaning the network more than we ever have and we are investing more than we ever have in our sewage treatment works but it is going to take a while.”
He later added: “The company is extremely stressed and operating in very difficult circumstances.”
Weston went on to warn it could take a decade to fix the problems.
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|The firm reported a 34.3% increase in pollution incidents
Thames Water was fined a record £122.7million in May after it was found to have broken rules over sewage treatment and the payment of dividends.
Company chairman Sir Adrian Montague said: “We have tried to be as forthcoming as we can with our disclosures.”
He also stated the company has been in crisis mode for years as it tries to avoid falling into special administration.
It recently emerged that £2.5million of bonuses paid to senior executives of the firm in April under a controversial ‘retention’ scheme are not able to be recovered by regulators.
However, Thames Water has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.65billion, raising questions over the future of the business.
This complaint of too much rain comes after it was announced yesterday that a hosepipe ban would begin next Tuesday for millions of Thames Water customers.
The ban will affect Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
Thames Water is the latest to introduce the ban, following Yorkshire Water and South East Water.