Thames Water investors pull £500m funding lifeline

Thames Water is the UK’s biggest water company, serving almost a quarter of the population.

It’s also the one with the biggest debts – a staggering £15 billion. Last summer it drew up a rescue plan with its shareholders, who agreed to give it £500 million by the end of this month. The plan also involved bills going up 40% over the next five years.

But the regulator Ofwat is resisting that hike, and Thames Water’s investors are now refusing to pay up.