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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/06/thames-water-blames-leak-repair-delays-on-weather
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| Hot and cold: Thames Water blames problem leaks on the weather | Hot and cold: Thames Water blames problem leaks on the weather |
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| Thames Water has warned that the summer heatwave and the “beast from the east” cold spell last winter delayed its progress on fixing leaks, as it reported a slump in half-year profits due to regulatory penalties. | Thames Water has warned that the summer heatwave and the “beast from the east” cold spell last winter delayed its progress on fixing leaks, as it reported a slump in half-year profits due to regulatory penalties. |
| Britain’s biggest water company’s leakage performance actually worsened, with 683m litres a day lost in the six months to 30 September, compared with 665m in the same period in 2017. | Britain’s biggest water company’s leakage performance actually worsened, with 683m litres a day lost in the six months to 30 September, compared with 665m in the same period in 2017. |
| Thames Water said profits before tax plunged to £67.7m, from £218.5m a year earlier. | Thames Water said profits before tax plunged to £67.7m, from £218.5m a year earlier. |
| In June, the company was ordered to pay £65m back to customers as part of a £120m package of penalties after being castigated by the regulator, Ofwat, for its failure to tackle leaks. | In June, the company was ordered to pay £65m back to customers as part of a £120m package of penalties after being castigated by the regulator, Ofwat, for its failure to tackle leaks. |
| Steve Robertson, the chief executive, said: “Our profit decreased over the period as we brought forward regulatory penalties, to benefit customers, and hired more employees to improve customer service and tackle leakage. Our capital investment increased, with £554m spent on improving our water and waste networks.” | Steve Robertson, the chief executive, said: “Our profit decreased over the period as we brought forward regulatory penalties, to benefit customers, and hired more employees to improve customer service and tackle leakage. Our capital investment increased, with £554m spent on improving our water and waste networks.” |
| The firm blamed the increase in leakage to the freeze thaw following the cold snap, and the prolonged heatwave over the summer, which increased demand for water by 17%. It said it fixed 1,431 leaks a week, its best performance in a decade, and up 37% year-on-year. | The firm blamed the increase in leakage to the freeze thaw following the cold snap, and the prolonged heatwave over the summer, which increased demand for water by 17%. It said it fixed 1,431 leaks a week, its best performance in a decade, and up 37% year-on-year. |
| Battling to fix leaks to avoid further penalties, the company said it has installed 26,987 leak-detecting acoustic loggers and installed a further 44,105 smart water meters, which can help pinpoint leaks. It also hired 600 extra full-time engineers and customer service staff, on top of its 6,000-strong workforce. | Battling to fix leaks to avoid further penalties, the company said it has installed 26,987 leak-detecting acoustic loggers and installed a further 44,105 smart water meters, which can help pinpoint leaks. It also hired 600 extra full-time engineers and customer service staff, on top of its 6,000-strong workforce. |
| the company said it is investing £60m in IT systems to improve performance and customer service, with a new billing system introduced this month. Itclaimed its Cayman Islands entities are close to being closed. | the company said it is investing £60m in IT systems to improve performance and customer service, with a new billing system introduced this month. Itclaimed its Cayman Islands entities are close to being closed. |
| The firm’s plan is to reduce leaks by 15%, as demanded by Ofwat up to 2025, and cut pollution incidents by 18%. However, pollution incidents rose to 217 in the six-month period, from 202 a year earlier. | The firm’s plan is to reduce leaks by 15%, as demanded by Ofwat up to 2025, and cut pollution incidents by 18%. However, pollution incidents rose to 217 in the six-month period, from 202 a year earlier. |
| Last year, Thames Water was fined a record £20.3m after huge leaks of untreated sewage into the Thames and its tributaries and on to land, which killed birds and fish. | Last year, Thames Water was fined a record £20.3m after huge leaks of untreated sewage into the Thames and its tributaries and on to land, which killed birds and fish. |
| The company has paid no corporation tax for a decade because its payments are deferred while it makes major investments in infrastructure. | The company has paid no corporation tax for a decade because its payments are deferred while it makes major investments in infrastructure. |
| Thames Water said it would not pay any dividends to shareholders until 2020-21 before resuming payments of £20m a year between 2020 and 2025. | Thames Water said it would not pay any dividends to shareholders until 2020-21 before resuming payments of £20m a year between 2020 and 2025. |
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