Responding to the embargoed announcement by Ofwat, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

This isn’t up to scratch and is a gimmick.

Money should instead go right back in the pockets of the people affected, through compensation from the water firms. Why are people paying for a service they simply aren’t receiving? Conservative Ministers need to get a grip on this and give people their money back when the taps don’t run and water firms mess up.

All those who suffered endless water outages without compensation, especially Thames Water customers, will have their heads in their hands at this latest announcement. This is yet more macho talk from a regulator which is about as tough as a wet paper bag.