Thames Water is aiming to recruit nearly 200 people to work at its new operations nerve centre in Reading's Green Park.

The Operations Management Centre, opening in February, will bring together the company's key operations staff in one place for the first time with the goal of making Thames Water more efficient and improving services for its 13.6million customers in London and the Thames Valley.

The company wants to hire 196 people to fill a range of posts at the Operations Management Centre, from customer call centre agents to management roles in water and wastewater services.

Jayne Farrin, Thames Water's Head of Corporate Communications, said:

"We're the biggest water and sewerage company in Britain and we're currently hitting top form. Our operational performance is better than ever right now - best ever sewage works compliance, best ever water quality and leakage down 24 per cent in the past four years.

"We want to maintain and build on these levels of excellent service for our customers in 2010 and beyond, which is why we are setting up the Operations Management Centre. "

The firm has signed a 25-year lease on its new operations base, committing its future to Reading for decades to come. Although Thames Water's operations staff will begin moving in during the first quarter of 2010, it will be two years until the site is fully occupied.