Thames Water boss quits after sewage spills

The boss of Thames Water Sarah Bentley has quit after two years in the role, weeks after giving up her bonus, following the sewage spills. 

Thames Water said she leave her role with immediate effect. Chief financial officer Alistair Cochran will now take over as interim co-chief executive. He will now run the company along with Cathryn Ross. 

Last month, Bentley said she would forgo her bonus due to the company’s poor performance. 

The backlash comes after news that raw sewage was being dumped into rivers around the UK. 

Thames Water is the UK’s largest water company and has around 15 million customers. 

They said they plan to invest £1.6bn in its sewage treatment works over the next two tears and have a target of reducing the total duration of discharges across London and the Thames Valley by 2030. 

In a statement, Bentley said it had been “an honour to take on such a significant challenge”.

“The foundations of the turnaround that we have laid position the company for future success to improve service for customers and environmental performance. I wish everyone involved in the turnaround the very best.”