Thames Water CEO Urged to Face Residents' Questions

The chief executive of Thames Water has been challenged to attend a public question-and-answer session with residents in Earley and Woodley.

Mike Giles, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate, has written to Chris Weston asking him to answer questions about sewage discharges, rising water bills and executive pay, inviting him to meet residents face-to-face before the end of the year.

"Residents are paying Thames Water more and more for a service that keeps getting worse, while sewage pours into our local rivers and executives receive massive bonuses. I've invited the Thames Water CEO to join me at a public Q&A in Earley and Woodley before the end of the year. It's time Thames Water faced the music. Residents deserve straight answers on this fiasco."

Mr Giles cited figures showing 254 sewage discharges into the River Thames during 2025, totalling 1,413 hours, and 52 discharges into the River Loddon totalling 517 hours.

He also pointed to plans for average household bills to rise and questioned executive pay. Earlier this year, Thames Water revealed that £4.09 million had been paid to senior executives and board members through its management retention plan in the year to March 2025. The company's annual report also showed chief executive Chris Weston's total pay rose to £1.16 million.

"As a monopoly provider of water services to the public, it's right that Thames Water face proper public scrutiny of their actions. The Thames Water CEO addressing the concerns of Earley and Woodley residents directly would be an important step in the right direction."

Thames Water's headquarters are in Reading. Mr Giles was selected as the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Earley and Woodley earlier this month; he is also a district councillor for Sonning Common and a cabinet member at South Oxfordshire District Council.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We will respond to Mr Giles' letter but we are constantly engaging with our communities across the Thames Water region."

"In April typical bills rose by 3.4 per cent, in line with inflation, and these increases are enabling this record investment."

"This was achieved while we also reduced pollutions by 18 per cent, serious pollutions by 27 per cent and leakage by 15.1 per cent."

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter