Seven new teams in the South East aim to protect rivers from pollution

The Environment Agency has added seven water industry regulation teams across the South East and expanded its water enforcement workforce from 41 roles in 2023 to 195 by March, completing over 8,000 inspections in the 2025/26 year.

The Environment Agency has assembled its largest-ever team of investigators, enforcement officers and lawyers to tackle water pollution. The regulator increased its water enforcement workforce from 41 roles in 2023 to 195 by March, with further increases planned later in 2026. Since 2024, seven additional water industry regulation teams have been deployed across the South East to check compliance by Thames Water. This expansion is backed by a record £153 million budget for water enforcement this financial year and sits alongside recent legislation to strengthen enforcement powers. Key facts: - The EA increased water enforcement roles from 41 in 2023 to 195 by March. - Seven new water industry regulation teams were deployed across the South East since 2024 to check compliance with Thames Water. - More than 8,000 of 10,000 planned water company inspections for 2025/26 were completed, resulting in over 4,700 improvement actions. - The EA reported at least £6.9 million in enforcement undertakings paid by water companies and redirected into cleaning waterways. - The government provided a record £153 million this financial year for water enforcement, including funding from a strengthened "polluter pays" approach. - The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 introduced new powers including cost recovery for enforcement and prison for obstruction, with further provisions to follow. Summary: The enlarged enforcement workforce and regional teams aim to increase scrutiny of water companies and address pollution across the South East. Officials report a reduction in permit breaches and thousands of inspections and improvement actions so far. Further workforce increases are planned later in 2026 and additional provisions to the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 are expected to follow.