Thames Water boss explains why customers are paying ‘less’ than they should

Thames Water customers “are paying less than they otherwise would” due to the “poor operational performance” of the business, Cathryn Ross, the company’s co-interim chief executive, has said.

Speaking to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Ms Ross was asked how much more money customers are going to have to pay as a result of “failure”.

“Actually, our customers are paying less than they otherwise would as a result of the poor operational performance of the business, because we are in penalty territory,” she explained.

“Penalties we pay actually translate into lower bills than would otherwise be the case for customers because we’re not delivering the service.”