Anglian Water

Last updated

Anglian Water Services Limited
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Water industry
Founded1989
Headquarters Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Area served
East of England
Key people
  • John Hirst (Chair);
  • Peter Simpson, (CEO);
Products
Production output
  • 1.1 Gl/day (drinking)
  • 0.9 Gl/day (recycled)
Revenue
  • Decrease2.svg £1,351.8 million (2020-2021)
  • £1,419.9 million (2019-2020)
  • Decrease2.svg £391.6 million (2020-2021)
  • £399.1 million (2019-2020)
  • Increase2.svg £98.8 million (2020-2021)
  • £(76.8) million (2019-2020)
Number of employees
5,000 [1]
Parent AWG
Website anglianwater.co.uk

Anglian Water Services Limited [2] is a water company that operates in the East of England. It was formed in 1989 under the partial privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment to the area formerly the responsibility of the Anglian Water Authority. The remaining functions of the authority were transferred to the Environment Agency. Anglian Water is regulated under the United Kingdom Water Industry Act 1991.

Contents

Supply area

Anglian Water supplies drinking water to all or parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk. [3]

Anglian Water provides drainage and sewerage to a wider area, stretching from the Humber in the north to the River Thames in the south, including the Great Ouse and a small part of Greater London around Upminster.

Corporate information

Anglian Water Services Limited is a private limited company that provides the majority of Anglian Water branded services and utilities and is registered in England and Wales with company number 2366656. [2]

Campaigners have questioned the morality of Anglian Water paying the highest dividends of any water company in England - £4.6bn - when the cash should be spent on improving. This was between the period 2012 and 2022.

Customer service

Anglian Water came joint first in the qualitative 'Satisfaction by company' league table for water and sewerage companies in Ofwat's Service Incentive Mechanism Annual Report 2012/13, [4] having ranked fourth in the same survey in 2011/12 [5] and fifteenth in 2010/11 [6]

Campaigns

Keep It Clear

The Anglian Water "Keep It Clear" campaign aimed to reduce sewer blockages in the region caused by fats, oils, grease and unflushable items like baby wipes. The campaign also worked with community leaders to inform the public and offered free sink strainers to stop food waste going down drains. Following a seven-week trial in Peterborough, blockages fell by more than 80 per cent. The model is now being rolled out to other "hotspot" towns and cities in the region. [7] [ when? ]

Drop 20

The "Drop 20" campaign encouraged the public to lower their water consumption by 20 litres (4+12 imp gal) per day to reduce the energy needed to deliver water and upkeep infrastructure. Anglian's reasoning behind the campaign was to reduce their environmental impact and for water conservation, as the region is quite dry in comparison to other areas of the country. The company commented:

"Where there's water, there's carbon – and quite a bit of it. Every bath, flush or glug has CO2 built into it, thanks to all the processes it takes to get it to the tap. So using less water is good news for the planet. It's good news for us too, because it's our job to keep supplies flowing to over 6 million customers in this dry region." [8]

Operations

It currently provides water for 2.6 million properties in a supply area of 10,600 square miles (27,500 km2). [9] [ when? ] In 1997 Anglian took over Hartlepool Water.[ citation needed ]

Anglian Water Leisure

Anglian operates several reservoirs, including Rutland Water, Grafham Water, Alton Water, Pitsford Water, Ravensthorpe and Taverham Mill. A separate leisure division of the company was formed to promote the use of these facilities for recreational use. Activities provided include water sports, fishing, bird watching, cycling and walking.

Performance

Leakage

In 2012/13 Anglian Water's leakage rate was 4.97m3/km/day; compared to 5.26m3/km/day in 2011/12, 6.10m3/km/day in 2010/11, 5.62m3/km/day in 2009/10, 5.60m3/km/day in 2008/09 and 2007/08. [10]

Drinking water quality

Drinking water quality in 2012 was 99.96%, as in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2007. In 2008 it was 99.98%. [10]

Environmental record controversies

Anglian Water states that it has a "commitment to the environment" and takes its "responsibility as a custodian of the environment very seriously." [11] Compliance failures have, however, caused it to be described by the Environment Agency as a "repeat offender" regarding pollution. [12] [13] [14] Instances include:

In November 2023, following Conservative Party MP Steve Barclay's appointment as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in a Cabinet Reshuffle, Anglian Water found itself as the subject of conflict of interest allegations, after it was revealed that Barclay's wife, Karen Barclay, was Head of Public Affairs for the water firm, and later its Head of Regional Engagement. It was later confirmed that Mr Barclay had correctly disclosed his wife's job on the most recent List of Ministers' Interests. [45]

Carbon footprint

The company's carbon emissions were 487,659 tonnes in 2012/13, compared to 485,273 in 2011/12, 504,026 in 2010/11, 493,702 in 2009/10, 498,115 in 2008/09 and 478,450 in 2007/08. [10]

Health and safety record

On 18 December 2015, Anglian Water Services Limited (AWSL) was fined £400,000 with costs of £41,711 after pleading guilty to breaches of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Luton Crown Court heard three workers were injured in two separate incidents at its water recycling centres in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and Saffron Walden, Essex. The court also heard Anglian Water Services Ltd had four previous prosecutions by HSE, the most recent in 2010, 2004 and 1997. An improvement notice was served on AWSL following a fall from a height accident in 2007. [46]

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