Nine water companies have been blocked from using customer money to fund “undeserved” bonuses by the industry’s regulator.
Ofwat said it had stepped in to use its new powers over water firms that cannot show that bonuses are sufficiently linked to performance.
The blocked payouts amount to 73% of the total executive awards proposed across the industry.
The regulator has prevented crisis-hit Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water from paying £1.5m in bonuses from cash generated from customer bills.
It said a further six firms have voluntarily decided not to push the cost of executive bonuses worth a combined £5.2m on to customers.
Instead, shareholders at Anglian Water, Severn Trent, South West, Southern Water, United Utilities and Wessex will pay the cost.
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David Black, chief executive of Ofwat, said: “In stopping customers from paying for undeserved bonuses that do not properly reflect performance, we are looking to sharpen executive mindsets and push companies to improve their performance and culture of accountability.
“While we are starting to see companies take some positive steps, they need to do more to rebuild public trust.”
The announcement came in an Ofwat update on firms’ financial resilience and bonuses.
Industry lobby group Water UK said: “Almost all water company bonuses are already paid by shareholders, not customers.
“All companies recognise the need to do more to deliver on their plans to support economic growth, build more homes, secure our water supplies and end sewage entering our rivers.
“We now need the regulator Ofwat to fully approve water companies’ £108bn investment plans so that we can get on with it.
“Ofwat’s financial resilience report provides yet more evidence that the current system isn’t working, with returns down to 2% and eight companies making a loss.
“It is clear we need a faster and simpler system which allows companies to deliver for customers, the environment and the country.”