<p>Housebuilders have handed more than £1 billion to water companies in the past three years, research from the Home Builders Federation has revealed. This money has failed to deliver adequate infrastructure to support new homes, according to HBF.</p> <p>The estimated £1.05 billion housebuilders have paid water companies between 2020/21 and 2022/23 includes £427 million in developer payments for infrastructure charges and connection fees, and more than £600 million in new assets added to water company balance sheets through new pipes and other infrastructure “from which water companies will ultimately also derive a long-term income stream,” HBF said.</p> <p>This research follows the news that the government and regulators may have broken the law over failing to stop water companies in England discharging raw sewage into rivers. </p><p>HBF referenced figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) suggesting that 60-80% of phosphorus entering rivers comes from water companies’ failure to effectively treat wastewater.</p> <p>And today (September 13), the <a href="http://www.house-builder.co.uk/news/government-set-scrap-nutrient-neutrality-rules">government’s proposals to scrap nutrient neutrality rules</a> were due to be debated in the House of Lords through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. </p> <p>Before the sitting, new shadow levelling up secretary Angela Rayner said the Labour party would …