Severn Trent has created 300 new jobs after bringing its customer waste teams inhouse – allowing the company to react even faster to pipe blockages and flooding.

The reactive sewage services crews, whose work includes tackling pipe blockages and floods, officially joined Severn Trent from contractor Customer Solutions Plus (CSP) on September 1.

Chief executive Liv Garfield welcomed the new employees at an induction day at Birmingham Resorts World, telling them:

“We are seen as a leader in the waste division and, with your help, we want to get even better.”

She told the new employees that they would play a vital part in ensuring Severn Trent continues to deliver exceptional service for its eight million customers.

Steve Betteridge, head of customer waste networks at Severn Trent, also welcomed the new staff. His department currently tackles around 2,480 customer blockages a month across the network, which contains around 93,000km of pipes. He commented:

“You joining only us strengthens our position and makes our ambition to improve performance even further for our customers a reality.

“This move will help deliver the best possible service for our customers, with improved right first-time completion and reduced repeat work.

“It signals the beginning of a new era – and a new team.”

The recruitment is part of a commitment from Severn Trent to create an extra 1,000 jobs, including the biggest ever intake of 130 new apprentices.