News

Severn Trent’s full year results have shown big improvements for customers, as well as continued support for colleagues, customers and communities – bolstered throughout the coronavirus crisis.

In the last year, the Midlands-based water and waste company revealed it has:

•    Reduced the amount of time its customers are off supply by 61%;
•    Cut leakage again by 5%, hitting its target for the eighth time in nine years;
•    Reduced water quality complaints by a further 14%
•    Improved 1,600km of our local rivers; and
•    Invested almost £800m locally, including the finishing touches to the Birmingham Resilience Project – the company’s biggest ever scheme to build new pipelines to Birmingham, protecting supplies for future generations across the city.

The company also repeated its commitment to support colleagues, customers and communities and have most recently demonstrated this throughout the coronavirus crisis by:

•    Pledging to not furlough or lay off staff during this difficult period;
•    Creating a £1m emergency fund to help charities and community groups on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, with £500,000 already donated in the first two weeks to around 200 groups around the Midlands;
•    Offering a range of support for customers who are struggling to pay their bills, including making £3.5m available as part of the Severn Trent Trust Fund;
•    Pledging to pay all small and medium-sized suppliers immediately, releasing £38m of early payments to help the Midlands economy; and
•    Helping any customers who have a medical condition, a disability or anything that might mean they need a little extra help through their Priority Services Register.

The company is providing this wide-ranging support while still having one of the lowest bills in the country, with customers getting all their clean and wastewater services for less than £1 per day.

Liv Garfield, Severn Trent Chief Executive, said: “We’re proud to still be working to make sure the homes, businesses, care homes and hospitals we serve have the water they need more than ever before, while also giving back to the communities in which we live and work.

“We continue to invest heavily in our region, with almost £800m spent in the last year alone and billions more planned for the coming years, to make sure our customers have the best possible service.”