Boss of water company behind Yorkshire beach sewage leak gets £215,000 bonus

Northumbrian water came under fire after sewage from its pipes was dumped onto Saltburn Beach. Credit: Ian Forsythe/Getty Images

The chief executive of one of Britain's largest water companies has received a 65% increase in annual premium despite failing to meet industry benchmarks for wastewater leaks and overflows.

< p>Northumbrian Water chief Heidi Mottram received a £215,000 bonus over £1000. 130,000 a year earlier, reports show.

The jump came despite regulator Ofwat naming Northumbrian one of the six worst water companies in the UK, saying it fell into the 'lagging' category last year . sewerage services for more than 4 million people in the North East of England, in Suffolk and Essex, met or exceeded only five of the 12 performance criteria set by the regulator.

It has failed to meet water quality targets to stop leaks and prevent sewage from reaching people's homes, among other things.

The company has in the past claimed to have the «lowest pollution» in the country.

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Ms Mottram's bonus jump has raised her total compensation last year to £781,000.

The big pay package is likely to anger activists who say the water industry is not doing enough to address persistent discharge problems sewage.

A recent poll by the Liberal Democrats found that almost a quarter of British sea swimmers would stay away from the country's coastal waters for fear they could end up in sewage.

Tim Farron, the party's environmental spokesman, told the Telegraph. in July: 'No one should swim or build a sandcastle next to raw sewage'.

Northumbrian also paid a £159m shareholder dividend in 2022 despite a £50m pre-tax loss Sterling a year, reported for the first time in The Sunday Times.

Decades of inadequate investment in sewers and wastewater treatment means that during heavy rains, raw sewage and sewage can be dumped directly into rivers and streams.< /p>

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Defra has released plans that will require water companies to spend a total of £56bn to repair outdated pipes and prevent stormwater from being dumped directly into watercourses.

Bonus g Mrs. Mottram grew up after reaching the goals set by the owners of Northumbria. , US private equity firm KKR, and Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.

At a company representative for comment.