Ofwat Fines Thames Water Only £1 Despite Misreporting Sewer Flooding Data

Ofwat has fined Thames Water just £1 after the regulator found that the group misreported sewer flooding data in 2010 which, in turn, impacted the amount the firm charged customers.

Ofwat, formally known as The Water Services Regulation Authority, confirmed in a statement that Thames Water agreed to "pay a package worth £86m [€109m, $147m] to customers and the communities it serves."

However, out of that total value, only £7m will be given back to customers. A total of £2m will be placed in a fund to help those who are having difficulty paying their bills, while the remaining £5m will "support additional community projects such as local programmes to better protect rivers and improve the natural environment."

The bulk of the "pay package" (£79m) actually constitutes a promise to reduce Thames' regulatory capital value (RCV )- which refers to asset costs and investment that has been put into the water company – in order to "benefit customers for years to come."

RCV is used for setting bills so, if this number is reduced, consumer bills will be lower.