Failing water company bosses will be hauled in front of the environment secretary to address underperformance, Therese Coffey has revealed. Following Ofwat’s annual performance review, the head of the Department of environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) confirmed that she will call the heads of the seven underperforming companies to a meeting. Coffey, who met just once with water companies in her first six months in office, said the overall performance of the sector is “extremely disappointing”.