As thousands of people across England plunge into icy rivers, lakes and seas for traditional Boxing Day swims, ministers have pointed to a year of sweeping reforms

aimed at cleaning up the nation’s waters.

Government figures published last month show that 93% of designated bathing sites now meet required swimming standards, an improvement on the previous year and a boost for winter swimmers and coastal communities alike.

Ministers say 2025 marked a turning point for the water sector, with the biggest package of reforms in more than a decade designed to restore public trust, strengthen regulation and drive long-term investment in ageing infrastructure.

Central to the changes was the passage of the Water (Special Measures) Act, which introduced tougher enforcement powers, including criminal liability for water company executives who conceal illegal sewage discharges. The legislation also allows the government to block unfair bonuses, with more than £4 million in executive payouts stopped across six water companies this year.

Customer-funded investment has been ringfenced to ensure money is spent on fixing leaks, cutting sewage spills and improving water quality rather than dividends or bonuses. At the same time, the Environment Agency has been given expanded powers to recover enforcement costs from polluters, increase inspections and issue penalties more quickly.

Greater transparency has also been introduced, with real-time monitoring required at every emergency overflow so the public can see what is happening in their local waters. Consumer protections have been strengthened, including doubled compensation when basic water services fail and easier access to bill support for vulnerable households.

The reforms are backed by more than £104 billion in private investment, secured at the end of last year, to upgrade water infrastructure over the next five years. Ministers say it is the largest programme of its kind since privatisation and will support jobs, new housing and long-term pollution reduction.

Alongside this, the government is moving to reform bathing water regulations, easing rigid rules around bathing seasons and site designation while maintaining public health protections.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:  “Boxing Day swims are a brilliant reminder of how much people value their rivers, lakes and seas.  

This year we’ve taken tough, long-overdue action to protect them – increasing bathing water quality, blocking millions in bonuses and unlocking record investment to clean up our waterways.  

And we’re not stopping there. Next year we will set out long-term reforms to build upon this work and create a water sector fit for the future”.

The government plans to publish a Water White Paper in the new year, setting out longer-term reforms aimed at reshaping the sector. This will build on what ministers describe as the biggest overhaul of the water industry since privatisation, including proposals announced earlier this year to abolish Ofwat and replace the current system with a single, more powerful regulator.

Ministers say the changes are intended to cut pollution, speed up infrastructure delivery and give customers renewed confidence in how England’s water is managed. Photo by Brit in Seoul, Wikimedia commons.