Water winners: who will gain from the industry's spending spree in England and Wales?

As Labour shakes up regulation, suppliers are finally investing - but face problems such as contractor shortages and inflationWater firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaulWhen a sluice gate failed 24 metres below the water's surface at Thames Water's Queen Mother reservoir near London's Heathrow airport, there were no easy fixes available. Emptying 37m cubic metres of water was not an option, meaning that helmeted divers were limited to 98-minute stints in the high-pressure environment.The risky project required a team on a floating platform with a crane to cut out the broken equipment with thermal lances, bolt a plate on to the reservoir wall, and install the new equipment. It took more than a year until last October to complete, according to Glenfield Invicta, the contractor that carried out the work for Thames Water. Continue reading...