The minister's pressure presses the water boss to refuse the salary to 1.4 million GBP.

The managing director of Southern Water was supposed to refuse a salary climb that has doubled his income almost to £ 1.4 million, said the environmental secretary.

Steve Reed informed the BBC with Laura Kuensberg on Sunday that Lawrence Gosden's increase in salary £ 691,000 was “outrageous” and that the company fled to “thinking about what this looks like for customers”.

In the middle of an angry series, the payment and the bonuses that Water Utilities enjoyed that enjoyed huge spikes in wastewater leaks last year.

The number of The serious pollution incidents caused by water companies rose by 60 percent in just 12 months Environmental authority reveals on Friday.

When asked whether Mr. Gosden should reject the salary increase, Mr. Reed said: “I think it would be right if he did it. I don't think Southern Water worked well enough so that this type of salary increase is deserved. '

He added: “Trust between the customers and the water companies is probably at the lowest time, and by paying their leaders of this kind, what message do you send to your customers?

“I would really ask you to think about this very, very, very carefully.”

When asked whether Mr. Gosden should reject the salary increase, Reed said: “I think it would be right if he did it. I don't think the southern water worked well enough so that this type of salary increase is earned.”

The government is preparing for the publication of a pioneering review in the water industry, which according to reports could lead to the abolition of WAT's contested water regulator.

The independent water commission led by the former governor of the Bank of England, Sir Jon Cunliffe, will describe the recommendations to turn the dwindling sector over in her final report on Monday.

The reviews were commissioned by the Great Britain and Welsh governments governments as part of their reaction to the incorrect failures of systemic industry, including rising invoices, wastewater pollution and debt finances, although the ministers have excluded the nationalization of companies.

The government will later react to the recommendations in parliament on Monday.

According to reports, the review contains suggestions for the establishment of a new regulatory system, which is currently being divided between OFWAT, the environmental authority and the drinking water supervisory authority.

The ministers will announce a consultation that could lead to axing from WAT, which according to Guardian supervises how much water companies in England and Wales can calculate for services.

OFWAT was captured in the years in which they paid shareholders and large debts, while the aging infrastructure collapsed and wastewater pensions paid and paid in the air.

In an interview with Sunday Times, Environment Minister Steve Reed suggested that he was for a new model in which regional administrations managed water in their areas, including representatives of water companies, local authorities and other organizations.

He said: “I think the catchment area model has a lot to praise. Because if you can manage it better what goes into the water, you can clean up the water faster. '

When he spoke to the BBC, he again excluded the opportunity to strengthen the water industry, and said it would take too much costs and years in which environmental pollution would deteriorate.

The environmental secretary said the BBC at Laura Kuensberg on Sunday: “The nationalization would cost more than £ 100 billion that we would have to lose weight from the national health service and schools in order to give the owners of the dirty company.”

He added: “If we try to remove the current ownership model, it would take years, and during this time, pollution would deteriorate because the companies would not invest if they know that they would be nationalized.

The EA report showed that there were 2,801 sewage leaks last year, compared to 2,174 in 2023.

Only three companies were behind 81 percent of the most serious – Thames, Southern and Yorkshire.

Despite its expectations, the agency showed the reduction in pollution incidents by consistently poor performance of all nine water and sewage companies in the country.

In the meantime, only two companies – Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water – had no serious incidents last year and fulfilled the expectations of the environmental authority to identify a trend towards zero -serious contamination incidents by 2025.

This is also followed by a report that the public account committee published on Friday, in which the cross-bench group of MPs described as “Weefel” and recommended a revision of the regulation system.

According to the water law (Special Measures) introduced by the government last year, the watchdog will have greater powers to take quick measures against contaminating companies.

In order to increase the financing for water regulation, the environmental authority also advises a new tax in the water sector in order to regain the costs of assertiveness activities, while the environmental department (DEFRA) confirmed an increase in the financing of 2023/24 by 64 percent last week.

A spokesman for Water UK said: “Although there have been some improvements, it is clear that the performance of some companies is not good enough.

'This is finally put in order, with a record investment of £ 104 billion in the next five years to secure our water supply, to support economic growth and to end the waste water into our rivers and seas.

'However, a fundamental change in regulation is also required. We hope that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission will ensure that the sector will continue to invest the investment that you need to reduce the pollution incidents. '