Water companies to face regular MOT-style checks in industry shake-up

BBC • January 19, 2026 • general

Key Points:

The UK government has announced a major overhaul of the water industry in England and Wales, including unannounced inspections, regular MOT-style checks, and compulsory water efficiency labels on appliances, aiming to address widespread pollution, leaks, and outages.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds criticized the current system as a failure of regulation and oversight, promising company-specific monitoring teams and a new chief engineer role at a regulator set to replace Ofwat.
The reforms follow a review by Sir John Cunliffe with 88 recommendations but exclude consideration of renationalizing the water sector, which was privatized in the late 1980s.
Campaigners argue the proposed changes are insufficient, calling for a truly independent regulator and fundamental reform of the privatized