Environment Secretary Angela Eagle summoned water industry bosses to Whitehall after a joint report by the Environment Agency, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales, and Ofwat found that eight of England's nine water companies received ratings of "poor" or "requiring improvement" for environmental performance.
Eagle said the companies had failed to improve despite significant investment. "People are sick of excuses," she stated.
The report assessed environmental performance across the water companies and concluded that performance had worsened in most cases.