United Utilities is to pay £339 million of dividends to its shareholders for the last financial year, despite coming under fire for illegally dumping millions of litres of sewage in Windermere.
The increased shareholder payout, up 9.4 per cent year on year, is substantially more than the £227 million it made in profits. United Utilities also wants to hit householders with an increase of more than £500 million on their bills over the next five years. It is trying to persuade Ofwat to raise charges by 25 per cent before inflation.
The company, which serves seven million people in the northwest of England, came under fire from MPs this week after it was revealed to have illegally dumped the sewage into Windermere.
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