Wessex Water has said that a strong commitment to providing the best customer service, delivering high standards and improving the water environment has kept it at the forefront of UK water and sewerage companies.
The company’s annual results, published today, show continued excellent performance with more than 96% customer satisfaction and continuing high levels of compliance with quality standards.
The financial results for the year show that turnover increased from £492.1m to £524.9m and profit after tax increased from £107.9m to £169.3m. Borrowings rose by a further £103.3m to help fund the investment programme.
The company also made changes to its corporate governance to ensure it complied with the UK code. These changes included separating the roles of chairman and chief executive and other changes to board committees.
During 2013/14, £226m was invested to further improve existing infrastructure and to build new assets, including the next phase of the regional water supply grid. This is Wessex Water’s largest ever project and when completed, it will significantly improve the resilience and quality of supply for customers, as well as supporting the water environment.
Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Colin Skellett, said that over the last 25 years, the firm had invested in excess of £5 billion to improve existing infrastructure and to raise standards. The firm has also halved the level of leakage and now puts less water into supply than it did in 1980.
Commenting on last year’s intense rainfall across the region, he said that Wessex Water is keen to promote a more holistic approach to flood management, working with other agencies and land owners to manage the impact of heavy rain.
He added that while there will be a continuing need for investment to deal with the growing consequences of climate change, by using more innovative solutions and continuing to improve efficiency, bill increases could be contained to below inflation.
Wessex Water’s AMP6 business plan for the five years from 2015 to 2020 proposes that bill rises will be kept below inflation for the next six years. The utility was the first company to introduce social tariffs and there are now more than 15,000 customers benefitting from its affordability schemes that recognise their ability to pay.
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
James Sumsion, CEO of predictive water intelligence specialists Kohtari, says the water sector needs to take a giant leap forward, so that it can anticipate and act upon water quality issues - rather than merely react.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.