12 Jan 2026
New polling has revealed that 54% of Thames Water customers think Ofwat should reject a deal proposed by Thames Water's creditors, and put it into special administration. This is almost double the amount who believe the deal should be accepted.
This comes as Thames Water - which has a debt pile of nearly £20 billion - is on the brink of collapse. Thames Water’s creditors are negotiating with Ofwat to determine the future of the utility. These negotiations were supposed to have concluded before Christmas, but are still ongoing.
The creditors have asked to pollute outside of legal limits for 15 years, stating that a ‘full return to legal, regulatory and environmental compliance’ would not take place until at least 2035-2040. When asked about this proposal, 54% of Thames Water customers responded that it was not acceptable - double the amount who considered it acceptable.
The polling of over 1000 Thames Water customers is the first of its kind. It was commissioned by We Own It and carried out by Survation.
It has also revealed that over two thirds (68%) of Thames Water customers believe that Thames Water should be nationalised and run in the public sector.
Additionally, customers were strongly in favour of a Thames Water Board which includes environmental groups (66% in favour); households (77% in favour); and Thames Water employees (64%).
When asked how much shareholders should be compensated if the entire water sector came into public ownership, the most popular option was ‘no compensation’, with 36% of respondents in favour.
This government has repeatedly said that public ownership of water is not possible because it would cost £100 billion, but refusing shareholders compensation would put the cost of public ownership of water well below this. This polling result also demonstrates just how angry Thames Water customers are about the company’s ongoing crisis.
A third of Thames Water customers said that the future of Thames Water was likely to influence their vote at the next General Election.
Polling revealed that affordability is a major concern for Thames Water customers.
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79% of respondents said that Thames Water’s recent 35% bill increase is unreasonable.
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Over one third (34%) expect to be unable to afford this bill increase
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Over half (53%) have said that it would be reasonable for Thames Water customers to stop paying their bills.
This comes as Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, promises that cutting the cost of living is a priority for 2026.
What do these results tell us?
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These results provide irrefutable proof that customers want Thames Water in public hands
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People are absolutely sick of paying more and more for a broken water system, all while watching as shareholders continue to extract eyewatering profits
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If this government is serious about tackling the cost of living crisis, they must cut water bills. Public ownership would stop huge sums of money from leaking out of our water system in the form of shareholder payouts, meaning reduce costs for billpayers
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DEFRA Secretary Emma Reynolds needs to bring Thames Water into special administration now, followed by permanent public ownership. In doing so, this government could slash Thames Water’s debts by at least 40%
Summary of key results:
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68% of Thames Water customers want Thames Water to be nationalised and run in the public sector, while only 19% consider that it should continue to be run by private companies
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79% consider Thames Water’s recent 35% bill increase to be unreasonable
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Over one third (34%) expect to be unable to afford this bill increase
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Over half (53%) have said that it would be reasonable for Thames Water customers to stop paying their bills, while only 34% considered this unreasonable.
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Over half (52%) consider that the creditors’ demand for regulatory leniency is not acceptable - double the amount (25%) who considered it acceptable
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Over half (52%) said that the government needs to meet their pledge to halve sewage pollution by 2030. Only 7% considered that the government does not need to meet this pledge.
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Over half (54%) have said that Ofwat should reject the deal put forward by Thames Water’s creditors, and put Thames Water into special administration
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Over one third (36%) believe that shareholders should not receive any compensation if Thames Water comes into special administration
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Customers are strongly in favour of a Thames Water Board which includes environmental groups (66% in favour); households (77% in favour); and Thames Water’s employees (64%)
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One third said that the future of Thames Water is somewhat or very likely to influence their vote at the next general election
