Our environmental performance: what we're changing and why
10/29/2026
As Director of Asset Management, I spend a lot of time analysing the performance of our network, where the risks sit and what more we need to do to improve.
That's why today's Environmental Performance Assessment matters.
The result reflects the fact that our environmental performance in 2025 simply wasn't good enough. Nobody at Yorkshire Water is satisfied with that outcome. Protecting the environment is fundamental to what we do, which is why improving our performance is such a priority. We understand the issues behind the result, and we've already made significant changes to address them.
I'm often asked whether a result like this can be turned around quickly. The honest answer is that some things can and some things can't. Changes to how we operate can happen relatively fast. Rebuilding and improving infrastructure across a region the size of Yorkshire takes longer.
What matters is that we're focused on the right things and making the right changes.
What sits behind the result?
The EPA outcome is largely driven by two factors.
The first is our pollution performance. During 2025, we recorded 13 serious pollution incidents. Every pollution incident matters, and reducing both the number and the impact on the environment and the communities we serve is a priority.
The second factor relates to the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). We completed 668 environmental obligations, but five schemes in West Leeds were not delivered within the required timeframe. Those schemes are designed to improve environmental outcomes and not completing them on time has contributed to this year's rating.
Focusing on prevention, not just response
One of the clearest lessons for me is that anticipating and preventing a problem is always better than responding to it.
We've significantly improved our understanding of what’s happening across the wastewater network, with much better data and visibility of where risks are developing.
For example, we’ve installed more than 27,000 sewer level monitors, we're trialling 360-degree cameras and sensor devices that travel through the sewer network, and we’re using drones to assess the network from above. Together, these technologies are giving us a much richer evidence base. We're using that data to understand our network’s performance and develop predictive tools that help us identify where risks are emerging and intervene earlier.
But identifying risks is only part of the answer.
The question we're asking ourselves is simple: once we know where a problem might occur, how quickly can we act? Much of the focus now is on turning data and insight into faster and more consistent action on the ground before problems become incidents.
Responding faster when things go wrong
We're also strengthening the way we respond when incidents do occur.
We've changed our escalation processes, increased the level of operational resource available during events and placed greater emphasis on learning from both incidents and near misses.
No water company can prevent every incident, but we can make sure we're responding faster, reducing environmental impact where issues occur and learning from every event, so we continuously improve.
Investing in the network
Better data, technology and a stronger response are all important, but they aren't the whole answer.
Improvement also depends on investing in the assets and infrastructure that support our wastewater network.
That's why we're delivering one of the biggest investment programmes in our history.
Since April 2025, we've completed improvements at almost 300 locations across Yorkshire. We're transforming Scarborough's wastewater network, targeting sewers that pose the greatest pollution risk, and will upgrade more than 450 storm overflows by 2030.
Much of this work happens underground and out of sight. Customers won't necessarily see it day to day. It is also work that takes a long time – investigating, designing, planning, and delivering infrastructure projects on the scale that is required is a challenge, but it is fundamental to improving environmental performance.
Delivering our environmental commitments
On our WINEP programme, we're continuing to accelerate at pace.
Of the five schemes that remained outstanding at the end of 2025, one is complete and the remaining four are either under construction or progressing through planning. We remain committed to completing all of these schemes by 2028.
All of this sits alongside our £8.3 billion investment programme for 2025-2030, one of the largest in the company's history, aimed at improving infrastructure, strengthening operational resilience and delivering better outcomes for customers and the environment.
What happens next?
I'm conscious that customers may look at today's rating and ask when they will start to see a difference.
That's a fair question.
Some of the changes we're making can have an impact relatively quickly. Others involve major infrastructure projects that take years to plan and deliver. There isn't a single solution or a quick fix.
What gives me confidence is that we have a clearer understanding than ever before of where risks exist across our network and what needs to change. We're improving how we identify risk, responding faster when issues occur and investing in the long-term resilience of our infrastructure.
Customers will rightly judge us on progress, not promises. We will continue to be open about where we're improving, where we're falling short and what we're doing about it.
For me, the test is straightforward: fewer pollution incidents, reducing our impact on rivers and better environmental outcomes for Yorkshire. That's what the changes we're making now have to deliver.
Steph