UK: Growing protests over post-Brexit water crisis

Expensive drinking water, extremely high leakage rates (19%), chronic underinvestment in water infrastructure, and escalating water pollution from sewage discharges into rivers, canals, and the sea. These are the most important problems of the UK water crisis in a nutshell. After privatisation and since the UK left the European Union in 2023, the nation’s water quality has further deteriorated. Public frustration is mounting, with increasing water protests taking place.

Last week, Thames Water secured a High Court victory by obtaining a £3 billion (€3.50 billion) rescue loan. This loan has to prevent the debt-laden company from falling under government control. The UK’s largest water and waste company was projected to run out of cash by the end of March. The court’s decision provides Thames Water with an opportunity to undergo a major restructuring, but activists protested outside court after the Thames Water ruling. They want to bring water back into public ownership. The future of Thames Water remains uncertain amid a significant debt burden. After decades of underinvestment, the water industry in England and Wales was privatized over thirty years ago, with critics arguing that companies prioritize shareholder returns over essential infrastructure investments.

British comedian Tom Walker, through his fictional persona Jonathan Pie, delivered a scathing critique of the water situation in an outspoken YouTube video released in early February.

Clean drinking water at risk

In December 2024, industry experts warned that the safety of tap water in the UK may be compromised, as water companies have been unable to access certified cleaning products. All laboratories responsible for testing and certifying these cleaning chemicals have ceased operations. Industry insiders have attributed this issue to Brexit, noting that from 2026, EU countries will share laboratory capacity. That means that, had the UK remained in the EU, water companies could have relied on continental certification facilities. Under current UK regulations, products must be tested in a certified laboratory, a requirement now hindered by the absence of such facilities both domestically and internationally.

Post-Brexit divergence from EU water laws

Since Brexit, the UK has diverged from key EU water directives, such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Drinking Water Directive, that once underpinned stringent water quality standards. Although many of these regulations were transposed into domestic law, significant deviations and implementation challenges have emerged. Moreover, the UK is no longer subject to the European Commission’s infringement procedure mechanism, which enforces compliance with EU law among Member States. Consequently, for most areas of UK law, infringement procedures concerning breaches of EU directives have been stopped.

Growing Protests

Public concern over water quality has lead to a series of protests. In October 2024, environmental activist Chris Packham joined 15,000 demonstrators in London, calling for urgent measures to combat water pollution in Britain’s rivers. The demonstration highlighted widespread discontent with the current state of water quality and underscored demands for stricter enforcement of pollution control regulations.