SES Water has published its annual review of operating and financial performance results, reporting a strong conclusion to a “very encouraging” AMP6 investment programme.

Total revenue was £69.8 million with profit before tax increasing from the prior year by £1.3 million to £10.7 million, and capital investment in new and replacement plant and equipment totalling £35.6 million, up from £25.3 million the previous year.

Operational performance highlights for the year included:

• Achieving their leakage reduction target for the 21st successive year meaning less water is being taken from the environment
• Very low numbers of burst mains and supply interruptions, thanks to a targeted approach to asset investment meaning customers benefit from a more robust service
• An unwavering focus on vulnerable customers means the Company is now helping more people in more ways than ever before, including providing the highest volume of payment holiday support per 10,000 customers in response to COVID-19 across the industry
• Having the fewest concerns from customers about the smell, taste or appearance of their water since the challenging target was introduced in 2015
• Reducing demand by fitting more than 8,000 new water meters during the year, including a trial of smart meters
• 89% of customers are satisfied with their water service and the vast majority believe their bill provides good value for money

During the AMP6 investment period SES Water achieved its aim for 56% of properties to be supplied by more than one treatment works. It also completed the upgrade of its Woodmansterne Treatment Works –the company’s largest ever single investment – to increase output and flexibility.

Commenting on leakage, the report says SES Water is still focused on doing more – the utility has teamed up with Vodafone, Royal HaskoningDHV and Technolog to implement groundbreaking technology to create a self-learning network that allows it to recognise and highlight issues in real-time.

Chairman Jeremy Pelczer said:

“I am very pleased that we’ve achieved amongst the very best industry performance in areas we know are critical to our customers. We’ve also continued tomake good progress in reducing our emissions and contributing to the industry’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

“However, we know that we have more to do in some areas, notably to improve customer and developer satisfaction through our C-MeX and D-MeX scores, and have robust plans in place to achieve that.

“As I look ahead to the coming year, and as our communities and the economy recover and rebuild, we will continue to provide all our customers with a high-quality and reliable service, while striving to meet our new performance targets.”

Incoming Chief Executive Officer Ian Cain, who joined SES Water in February 2020, added:

“Looking back I am really pleased to report that we have continued to meet the expectations of our customers in the areas that matter most to them. This includes delivering their top priority which is a reliable supply of high-quality water but also going further to play a bigger role in tackling wider societal and environmental challenges such as water poverty and the effects of climate change.

SES Water supplies water to over 735,000 people in east Surrey, and parts of West Sussex, west Kent and south London across a supply area of 322 square miles (835 sq km).

Groundwater provides 85 per cent of the company’s water, with 15 per cent being extracted from one reservoir at Bough Beech near Edenbridge.

Click here to download SES Water Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020