Former Wessex Water Boss Received Bonus Despite Ban on Performance Pay
Colin Skellett, former chief executive of Wessex Water for 36 years, received £157,000 from Wessex Water for the period July to September 2024 while stepping down. He also received pay from YTL Utilities (UK), with his total pay up to June 2025 amounting to £693,000, including a £170,000 performance bonus.
In 2024, Skellett's combined pay from Wessex Water and YTL exceeded £1 million. Wessex Water paid about £313,000 that year, while YTL paid around £691,000 plus the £170,000 bonus.
Wessex Water was criminally convicted in November 2024 for a 2018 failure at a sewage-pumping station that killed more than 2,000 fish, resulting in a £500,000 fine. In June 2025, the government banned bonuses for the 2024–25 financial year for chief executives and finance officers of Wessex and five other water companies.
Ofwat clarified that Skellett's bonus was allowed to stand because it was related to non-regulated activity at the parent company, falling outside the scope of the pay ban.
The Department for Environment stated that its enforcement framework includes criminal liability for sewage-related offences and has blocked about £4 million in bonuses for ten water company bosses. The department also signaled upcoming tougher transparency rules for pay disclosures.
