The boss of South West Water has decided to to give up her bonus this year following public anger over sewage pollution in Britain’s rivers and seas.

Chief executive Susan Davy of South West Water joins Nicola Shaw of Yorkshire Water, Sarah Bentley of Thames Water in declining declined to accept bonuses this year.

Ms Shaw said she understands the “strength of feeling” on river pollution and decided to refuse what would have been her first bonus since arriving at the company in May 2022.

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Annual reports show she could have received between £600,000 and £800,000 if the company met its performance targets for the year. Last year the company paid out £878,000 in bonuses to directors.

Last year Ms Bentley received £496,000 while Ms Davy took £522,000.

A House of Lords committee said in March that water bosses should not receive bonuses while their companies are missing targets and polluting the environment.

It said “a slurry of under-investment, insufficient government strategy, and inadequate co-ordination” has meant water is not being treated with the care and importance it deserves.

The committee also said the regulator, Ofwat, has failed to ensure companies invest enough money into infrastructure.

The Government has said it is forcing water companies to invest £56 million in updating its infrastructure, much of which is decades old.

Dr Harvey Wood, director of the Clean Rivers Trust, said it is not able to accommodate the extra demand placed on the sewage system by a larger population and that only a nationwide overhaul will alleviate the pressure.

He said: “It’s a huge problem that this country has got to adjust to. Sewers that are discharging are having to take far more sewage as the house building continues and the system can’t cope.

“There’s a huge need in rural and semi-rural areas for an increase in sewer size. The sewer system generally in this country is shot.”