Assura said it was "minded to recommend" an improved, £1.61bn cash takeover proposal from investment firms KKR and Stonepeak. The consortium has offered 49.4p per share, which is 2.9% increase on the ...

KKR is one of several parties interested in Thames Water. Others include Castle Water, an independent supplier of water to businesses, and CK Infrastructure, part of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison group.