News about David Black

Customers have been ordered to pay nearly £40 million after the company was found to have deceived them over their history of dealing leaks and saving water. Ofwat said an investigation that began in May last year found evidence of a "significant lack of governance and management oversight" at Welsh Water, which led the company to misreport leaks and performance over a five-year span. Ofwat said Welsh Water would have to pay £39.4 million in redress for the company's failures on Thursday, with another £15 million to follow, which will lower bills for consumers.

Despite breaking his licence by changing his name, a fraudster who conned 1,500 pensioners out of £17 million in a solar panel scheme has avoided going back to jail. David Black (left), who is also known as Hardie, Diaz, and Stark, has been jailed for six and a half years for delivering the panels to victims through their Manchester company. The gang tricked investors out of a fortune, with the 40-year-old being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at Liverpool Crown Court in 2018. Ludovic (right) - who was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years, was dubbed the company's 'ringleader' who enjoyed a luxury lifestyle while purchasing Lamborghini and Porsche sports cars, under plastic surgery, and going on holidays to Switzerland and Italy. David, a father of two, was released from jail in 2021 but he was banned from changing his name until he specifically informed the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). However, David Black to David Hardie in his company dealings, so potential clients would not be concerned about his criminal history.

If water companies want to frighten long-suffering customers, they could face fines of up to ten percent of their revenue from today. When water supplies are interrupted, water companies must address grievances and ensure customers are informed and assisted, according to Ofwat. "There are already too many instances where customers are dissatisfied with their services, and the water company does not have their best interests at heart," the company said. According to Ofwat's annual review into results, customer satisfaction dropped for the majority of businesses in 2022-23. It also dropped the previous year, and it's now lower than it was in 2020/21.

The watchdog is investigating South East Water because 'too many customers have been failed too often by the vendor's negligence.' Ofwat, the authority that oversees water companies in England and Wales, has been investigating potential failures by the utility company to design and maintain an effective water supply system (pictured inset). It comes after the company introduced a hosepipe ban earlier this year, chastising more people working from home for rising demand and testing' its infrastructure. South East Water is a water company that serves Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. Ofwat said that the company is now the worst performer for water supply disruptions in England and Wales, with the company being forced to provide bottled drinking water in some regions earlier this year (pictured left). David Black, the chief executive of Ofwat, is on display at the right.

According to Water UK, the water company trade body, the average household will pay an additional £7 a month in water bills by 2025, or £84 a year. However, the amount you pay will depend on where you live and how much water you use - if you have a water meter.

Thames Water is expected to be fighting to get new funds in order to save the company as customers fear price hikes. As it fights to survive amid its $14 billion debt, Britain's biggest water company, which serves 15 million customers, is holding talks on new funding to ensure its long-term viability. It has now emerged that investors, including Canadian pension fund Omers and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), have committed to offering new equity for Thames Water. According to insiders, more information is due to be revealed to the stock exchange on Monday morning.

The head of industry regulator Ofwat has warned that water companies are expecting further price increases for households. Thames Water customers will not have to pay the bill if the debt-ridden water company dies, according to chief executive David Black. Supplier bills should rise to fund infrastructure development, according to Mr. Despite increased scrutiny over financial stability, dividend payouts, and environmental risks, suppliers are continuing to invest in infrastructure development.

The water authority has stated that it was powerless to prevent Thames Water from racking up mountains of debt under New Labour's 'hands-off approach.' On Tuesday, David Black, the chief executive of Ofwat, told members of the House of Lords industry and regulators committee that the watchdog should have intervened in 2006 to discourage the water company's then-owner, Australian investment company Macquarie, from borrowing too much.

Regulator Ofwat wants to minimize unnecessary compensation, but water companies, who claim that doing so would discourage them from recruiting new people in the Thames Water crisis, are fighting back. The company, the country's largest water provider, has debts of £14 billion. According to the most recent estimates, businesses in England and Wales have an estimated £65 billion in debt. Thames Water's chief executive, Sarah Bentley, who left abruptly last week last week, earned about £2 million last year, although she hinted that she would decline this year's compensation. However, high-earners are dispersed across the water sector, with Severn Trent's chief executive, Liv Garfield, pocketing £3.2 million last year. Despite the fact that the company had £8.2 billion debt, United Utilities boss Steve Mogford took home £3.2 million in 2022.

In Kent and Sussex, the bans went into place for South East Water's customers. Burst pipes from freeze-thaw hit 286,000 homes in December, and the hot weather resulted in 6,000 households losing electricity, low pressure, or even their supply cut off two weeks ago, with several schools closing down. Over two years, the company has paid two of its managers £1.7 million in salary and bonuses. 'Resilience of supplies is much better than what was expected,' Ofwat chief executive David Black said, and that he is worried about a ban being introduced during the year's first hot weather.

Since the company admitted that it failed to properly report leaks across its network, the company's revenues were much higher than it first expected, about 1.4 million Welsh Water customers will be given a £10 refund per person. Following the admission of the leakage reporting, Regulator Ofwat has launched an investigation into Welsh Water's leakage reporting for 2020 and 2021, and it's investigating whether further action needs to be taken due to the failures. In the coming months, Welsh Water said it would credit the £10 into the accounts of its 1.3 million household and 100,000 company customer accounts, totaling about £14 million.

South West Water of Pennon Group is facing another probe from Ofwat, with the company's regulator increasing its attention on the company's leakage results this time. On Tuesday, Ofwat revealed that it will now investigate the company's leakage and per capita consumption (PCC) metrics, with the watchdog looking at whether South West Water has previously released "timely, accurate, and complete data" in the past.

The industry regulator announced that it intends to approve 31 investment plans submitted by water companies, which include steps to improve water quality and installation smart meters. The first wave of investments is expected to begin in the next two financial years, from 2023 to 2025, with some projects scheduled to be completed by 2030.

The hikes have been described as a'slap in the face' among hard-up families, who have been notified that polluting companies have pumped raw sewage into rivers and seas across England for a record-breaking 1.75 million hours last year. Southern Water, which was fined a record-breaking £90 million for intentionally pouring billions of litres of raw sewage into the sea, was one of the businesses raising their prices. With the average bill increasing from £396 to £439. A council boss in Portsmouth, which has seen years of Southern Water dumping raw sewage into the sea around the Hampshire city, has expressed scathing reaction to the decision.

If a household's consumption for washing, cooking, cleaning, and gardening exceeds a maximum annual ration, they could charge households more. Residents may qualify for discounts if they are responsible with their usage, but they could also be charged more in the summer as supplies are limited. Ofwat wants to see more 'creative' billing to encourage people to use water properly. This year, Affinity Water, a water company that supplies 3.8 million houses in the South East, will be the first to perform experiments of differential pricing for 1,500 customers. The first 30,000 litres of water would be free, equivalent to about two months' supply for a four-person household. The next 250,000 litres will cost £1.50 per 1,000 litres and over 250,000 litres will be charged at £4.99 per 1,000 litres.

Ofwat wants water companies to avoid giving large sums to investors and instead use the funds to restore the UK's antiquated water systems, thus protecting the climate and providing good service to customers. The new powers follow a study that was published last year in which the regulator expressed growing anxiety about the debt held by Britain's major water companies' levels.

The regulator said water providers must 'deliver major change' both immediately and in the coming years after falling short of customer expectations, announcing their finalized framework for the next price review. New environmental goals for businesses include storm overflows, improving bathing water quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Rather, the watchdog believes that the funds could be used to rebuild the UK's antiquated water systems. Following a heatwave that dwindled waterways, businesses have also been chastised for hosepipe bans. In the first part of this year alone, an analysis by us showed that water companies had already paid nearly $3 billion in dividends.

The hosepipe ban, which supplies more than five million homes, is finally ending, according to a water firm that supplies more than five million people during the summer. According to Yorkshire Water, the county is also suffering from drought by the Environment Agency. However, the ban, which was levied on August 26, can now be lifted due to a rainier than normal fall and the public's efforts to conserve water. Last week, Thames Water lifted its ban on ten million households, while South East Water lifted its ban on 1.4 million customers.

As part of efforts to clean up UK waters, water companies that dump sewage in rivers and seas (stacked right) will face fines of up to £250 million, the new Environment Minister has promised. Ranil Jayawardena warned water companies that an upswing in fines could result in a 1,000-fold increase. On Monday, he was supposed to announce his strategy at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. The announcement comes after public outrage over the number of raw sewage drains into the UK's rivers and coastal waters has increased (left).

Suppliers were unable to respond to demands such as water supply disruptions, ozone pollution, and internal sewer flooding, prompting the take of the action. Thames Water and Southern Water both suffered, and customers will be required to return over £80 million. It comes after sewage discharges, packed with face-laden storm water (pictured right and left), were pumped into coastal beauty spots along the south-east of England. According to David Black, the chief executive of Ofwat for England and Wales, there are simply too many water companies that are 'falling short' of requirements.

After emerging as the poorest performers, Thames Water, which supplies 15 million residents, and Southern Water, which supplies 2.6 million households, will have to return nearly £80 million to customers in the form of lower bills.

Ofwat has suggested that swimming pool and hot tub owners who use a lot of water may be charged a premium. According to the regulator, homeowners could also be charged more for water in the summer and less in the winter. When demand is high in the summer months, the radical change has been suggested that it could help save water supplies. Yesterday, Ofwat unveiled the prospect of seasonal charging, saying that it might benefit customers struggling with the cost of living squeeze because they will pay less in the winter.

According to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 1,200 million litres of water a day could be saved by the labels, which is the equivalent of 480 Olympic swimming ponds. They could save consumers £125 million on water bills and £147 million on electricity bills over ten years, based on 2019 estimates. The plans, which are subject to a 12-week review, aim to introduce a separate water label from the existing energy label. They will be displayed on toilets, urinals, kitchen taps, bathroom basin faucets, non-electric showers and shower assembly kits, dishwashers, washing machines, and washer-dryers.