What’s next in the UK water sector

Celebrate excellence in the UK water sector by nominating outstanding individuals and organisations for the 2026 Future Water Awards, recognising emerging talent, people, and above-and-beyond contributions.

The government's 1.5 million homes target has a water problem. Research by Public First for CIWEM found that water scarcity could leave 61,600 homes unbuilt across the East and Southeast alone – a £25 billion shortfall. In Cambridgeshire, the constraint is already live: 9,000 homes delayed and counting.

The FOG Network 2026 brought the sector together to explore how fats, oils, and grease can be kept out of sewers, traced through the system, and recovered as a useful resource.

When a critical Scottish Water pumping station failed mid-maintenance, Xylem's Avensor real-time monitoring enabled controlled flow management, avoiding over-pumping and pollution risk.

With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”

The water sector is approaching a turning point in cyber resilience. For years, much of the focus has been on compliance: frameworks, standards, reporting obligations, and security controls. Those foundations still matter, but they are no longer enough.