Yorkshire Water: Fines
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fines have been issued to Yorkshire Water in the past five years; how many of these fines have been cancelled and the reasons for their cancellation; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure fines are (a) paid by water companies and (b) not passed onto consumers in the form of higher bills.
Answered by Emma Hardy
Since 2021, the Environment Agency has imposed six fines on Yorkshire Water totalling over £3.5 million, with no record of any fines or penalties being issued and cancelled.
The cost burden for water company fines is borne by their shareholders, not by customers. Ofwat ensures this through the price review process, where companies are required to exclude costs relating to fines imposed by the courts or regulators from the expenditure costs they recover through customer bills.
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