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The quality of the water we drink and use for washing and cleaning in our homes has got even better, according to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

Water companies will be getting together with key partners such as consumer groups and debt and advice charities next week, through the Water UK Innovation Hub, to further develop ideas and good practice on customer service.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on drinking water policy, to see where improvements could be made. It covers areas such as the current level of drinking water quality, the main threats to drinking water, the information needs of citizens, and possible additional actions that could be taken at EU level.

Water UK continues to work with retailers and manufacturers and to ensure non-flushable products are not thrown down the toilet and into sewers. Baby wipes, cleaning wipes and other non-flushable materials can block sewers and cost customers and water and sewerage companies millions of pounds a year in cleaning and repairs.

All water companies have now submitted revised business plans for 2015-20 to Ofwat and await the regulator’s draft determinations of price limits.

Water UK has released the results of its 2014 survey of investors, carried out by Indepen.

It might seem difficult to believe, as the weather forecasts warn of yet more rain, but it was only two years ago that parts of Britain were starting to recover from two years of extremely low rainfall. Dry, cold, wet, hot – the meteorological rollercoaster ride of the past three or four years has been exceptional.

This week was the first meeting of the Marine Litter Action Network and Water UK is on the steering group. Co-ordinated by the Marine Conservation Society, the idea is that it will become a central hub for information sharing, allowing people to find out what has worked and what has not.

It is looking increasingly uncertain that any member state of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) will achieve good status in all water bodies by 2015, and significant use of exemptions is likely to be required.

English and Welsh water companies, CCWater, Ofwat and Water UK are working together to set up an independent service to resolve disputes when companies and their customers are unable to reach agreement.

Water companies have published their business plans for 2015-20 and almost all will hold down bills to keep them in line with or lower than inflation. To help keep customer bills down, investors will receive lower returns in 2015-20.

The water industry has invested billions since the 1990s on measures that protect the UK’s bathing waters. The latest results from the European Environment Agency show that the UK is close to the top of the list for bathing waters that comply with the EU standards.