Ofwat considers reducing fines for struggling water firms

Britain's largest water company might have to pay a fine of £40m for giving money to its shareholders even though it didn't do well. The company, Thames Water, was told by the regulator Ofwat that it broke the rules by paying out dividends. Thames Water can argue against the fine before a final decision is made, but this might not happen until after the general election on July 4. The company is struggling with a huge debt of £15bn after borrowing a lot of money for many years. If it doesn't get more money, the government might take control of it. Thames Water serves 15 million customers and needs over £3bn by 2030 to keep working and improve its systems. The company asked to increase bills by up to 59% to get more money. Ofwat, the regulator, is checking how water companies in the UK spend money. They might make special rules to help companies in financial trouble. Thames Water paid £37.5m to its parent company last year, which made Ofwat start an investigation. The regulator can take action if water companies pay dividends but don't do well. Water companies paid £1.4bn in dividends in the last financial year. Thames Water didn't want to talk about this issue. Thames Water, the biggest water company in Britain, has been warned it could be fined more than £40m for giving money to its shareholders even though it didn't do well. Ofwat, the regulator, told Thames Water last month that it might have to pay a penalty for breaking the rules about giving dividends. This puts more pressure on Thames Water as it struggles with a debt of over £15bn and might be temporarily taken over by the government. The company can argue against the fine before a final decision is made, but this might not happen until after the general election on July 4. The decisions made by Ofwat in December will affect how investors decide to support the companies for the next five years. Ofwat is thinking about creating a special plan to help water companies that are struggling financially. The plan would allow these companies to survive. Ofwat, the regulator for water companies in England and Wales, is thinking about reducing fines for companies that dump sewage if they are having money problems. Instead of fines, these companies might be asked to invest in their systems to prevent sewage leaks and water outages. This could reduce the risk of the government taking over these companies. The plan is to give these companies less strict targets for fixing sewage and water issues in exchange for more oversight for up to five years. Shares in water companies in England went up after this news. The opposition parties are looking at changing the regulatory system for water companies. Some want to change Ofwat, while others want to get rid of it and create a stronger organization. Some politicians are pushing for the government to take over all water companies, starting with Thames Water. Critics are against the plans made by Ofwat.