Thames Water to tap investors for funds as it will run out of cash by next June

Company is laden with 15.2bn of debt, up 1.3bn on previous year, most of which could be added to public purse

• Rise in sewage pollution from Thames Water's ageing treatment works
• Poor state of Thames a critical risk to UK'

Thames Water said it intended to tap investors for fresh funds as it would run out of money by next June without a cash injection, raising fears over its potential collapse.

The debt-laden company, which has faced sustained criticism over sewage dumps, leaky pipes and extracted dividends, said it had 1.8bn, sufficient to fund our operations for the next 11 months to the end of May 2025".