Water sector to face MOT-style checks and a bold regulator overhaul

Britain's government unveils a sweeping reform of the water sector in England and Wales, introducing unannounced inspections, regular MOT-style checks, mandatory water-efficiency labels on appliances, and dedicated company-by-company oversight teams, plus a new regulator with a chief engineer role to replace Ofwat. The aim is to tackle long‑standing pollution, leaks and outages after public anger and a string of incidents, though critics say the reforms stop short of full structural change to the privatised system. A £104 billion five‑year investment plan backs the overhaul, with changes expected to take time to bear fruit as a new regulator timeline unfolds; recent events such as South East Water outages and record sewage discharges in 2024 underscore the pressure for meaningful reform.