The environmental performance of water companies worsened again last year despite industry investment, according to the first joint report by the regulators.

Eight of the nine companies in England were rated as "poor" or "requiring improvement", with only Severn Trent receiving the highest rating.

Companies were praised for reducing service disruptions but serious pollution into the environment remained a "major concern".

The chair of the environmental regulator, Alan Lovell, said the results showed the industry continued to "fall well short of the standards rightly demanded by both us and the public".

"I'm very angry," he told BBC News. "I think it's extremely disappointing to see the level of pollution incidents...…