How much of your water bill is swallowed up by company debt? – interactive

Analysis shows that 28% of Thames’ customer bills were spent servicing debt, as the company lobbies for more

Reports that Thames Water has been lobbying the government to let it increase bills by 40% come after the company’s 30-year history of giving out £7.2bn in dividends – and racking up £14.7bn in debt – has put it on the brink of collapse.

High levels of debt mean that much of customer bills are swallowed up by paying interest on company debt – with 28% of Thames’ revenue from bills spent paying interest or fees on debt on average between 2019 and 2023. That leaves less money for customer services, or investment in infrastructure.

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