Jail water firm bosses over ‘appalling’ pollution, says Environment Agency

Report shows English water and sewage firms' performance on pollution has declined to worst in years

Water company bosses must be jailed for serious pollution, the Environment Agency (EA) has said, as it revealed English water firms have overseen shocking levels of pollution in the last year.

The agency said water firms' performance on pollution had declined to the worst seen in years. It is calling for chief executives and board members to be jailed if they oversee serious, repeated pollution because they seemed undeterred by enforcement action and court fines for breaching environmental laws.