Thames Water wants permission to pollute Britain's water until 2040

Thames Water have asked for permission to pollute until 2040, campaigners have warned – but regulators can “still say no”.

Britain’s largest water utility is on the verge of collapse . But its creditors – the financial institutions that effectively own the company – have proposed a controversial solution: leniency on pollution regulations.

Under the proposal, a “full return to legal, regulatory and environmental compliance” would not take place until at least 2035–2040.

The new rescue plan is not yet legally binding – it has been submitted by Thames Water’s creditors and is being negotiated with Ofwat and the government – but creditors claim it would allow the company to avoid temporary nationalisation .

In practice, though, it would mean “more pollution, with fewer consequences”,