A LEADING councillor has expressed his frustration over Southern Water alleged slow progress in tackling dirty rivers.

The water regulator Ofwat has announced that water companies will be forced to repay customers £158m through lower bills for failing to meet performance targets.

The regulator graded the country’s water companies into three categories: “leading”, “average” and “lagging behind”, including Southern water and two others.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson for Romsey and Southampton North, Geoff Cooper has described the regulators findings as “disappointing and frustrating.”

Cllr Cooper is part of the Houghton-based Pan Parish River Pollution Forum, which includes riverkeepers, members of the Test & Itchen Association, anglers’ groups, local councillors and residents from parishes along the River Test.

It is focused on the protection and preservation of local rivers and waterways from all forms of pollution, and has been pushing Southern Water to do more to prevent ongoing damage to rare local chalk streams like the River Test.

Southern Water will now be forced to pay back £31.9m to customers. However, this is dwarfed by the hundreds of millions more expected to be paid by their 2.5million customers, as the average bill increases from £420 to £603 per a year by 2030. These Increases were approved by OFWAT earlier this year.

The business plan submitted by Southern Water originally aimed to increase the average bill to £734 per year; and includes plans to pay out £275m in dividends over the next five years, whilst raising £4bn of fresh debt.

Southern Water has been criticised by riverkeepers, environmental groups, local politicians and celebrities for persistent issues with sewage dumping, leaks and loss of service in recent years.

Earlier this year, large crowds gathered outside the company’s Fullerton Wastewater Treatment Works facility to protest against the damage sewage dumping was doing the River Test and other chalk streams.

Commenting on Ofwats’ report on Southern Water, he said: “It is disappointing and frustrating to see Southern Water is still ‘lagging behind’ other water companies and that the regulator has given them the lowest scoring yet again this year.

“Since the protests last year, Southern Water has been willing to engage but it is evident that progress is too slow and they are not keeping pace with the other water companies, four of which have managed to pull themselves up from ‘lagging behind’ to ‘average’.”