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Struggling Thames Water saw a 40% increase in pollution incidents in the first half as its debts continued to grow.
The UK's largest water company reported 359 so-called category one to three pollution incidents in the six months to September 30, which it said were due to a wet spring and summer.
Its boss, Chris Weston, said the company had made “solid progress” in its turnaround bid, but that record rainfall meant pollution and spills were “unfortunately on the rise”.
The troubled company is saddled with debts that stood at just under £16bn in those six months, up 7% on the previous year.
An insider told the BBC that without the company's huge debt, Thames would be in a reasonable financial position.
But the company could run out of money in the first three months of 2025, so its creditors have been granted a lifeline of up to £3 billion, which will be released in two tranches, including the first tranche of £1.5 billion could be released in February.
The company's survival depends on an injection of cash from investors during this period. One in four people in the UK rely on Thames for their water supply.
