Thames Water Faces Potential Nationalisation Over Financial Crisis

The UK’s largest water supplier risks collapse as legal disputes block access to emergency funding, with government intervention increasingly likely.

Thames Water, serving 16 million customers, is at risk of insolvency due to £19 billion in debt and blocked access to a £3 billion rescue loan.
A Court of Appeal hearing next week will determine whether the company can access the funds, with a March 24 deadline looming for a major debt repayment.
The government is preparing contingency plans for special administration, which would place the company under temporary public ownership.
Critics argue that nationalisation could burden taxpayers with up to £4.1 billion in costs and disrupt efforts to secure private investment.
Thames Water has faced public backlash over infrastructure underinvestment and sewage pollution, with calls for reform growing across political parties.