Thames Water Chiefs Defend £770M Bonuses Amid £20B Debt, Pollution Surge

Thames Water’s leadership, including CEO Chris Weston and chairman Sir Adrian Montague, has defended the payment of substantial bonuses totaling around £770,000 despite the company’s ongoing financial and operational crises. Weston justified his £195,000 bonus received just three months into his tenure by highlighting his role in stabilizing the company and implementing a new organizational structure amid excessive debts nearing £20 billion. The company narrowly avoided collapse by securing an emergency £3 billion loan and is facing significant challenges such as rising pollution incidents—up 46% last year—and daily water losses of 56 million tonnes. Both executives acknowledged the company’s failures in customer service, pollution control, and supply interruptions, apologizing for the hardships caused. While bills have surged by 31%, and hosepipe bans are possible this summer, Thames Water insists bonuses are necessary to retain talent and invest in infrastructure improvements. Despite these defenses, public and parliamentary scrutiny remains intense over the firm’s financial management, environmental record, and executive pay amid the sector-wide crisis.