Anglian Water is a
water company
The water industry provides drinking water and wastewater services (including sewage treatment) to residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy. Typically public utilities operate water supply networks. The water industry doe ...
that operates in the
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...
. It was formed in 1989 under the partial
privatisation of the water industry. It provides water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment to the area formerly the responsibility of the
Anglian Water Authority Anglian Water Authority was formed in 1974 by virtue of the Water Act 1973 as one of the regional water authorities.
It established its headquarters in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The authority boundary was the pre-existing boundaries of the con ...
. The remaining functions of the authority were transferred to the
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
. Anglian Water is regulated under the United Kingdom
Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 (c. 56) is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament consolidating previous enactments relating to the water supply and the provision of wastewater services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of ...
.
Supply area
Anglian Water supplies drinking water to all or parts of
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
,
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
,
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Barton ...
,
North East Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire is a Unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
.
Anglian Water provides drainage and sewerage to a wider area, stretching from the
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
in the north to the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in the south, including the
Great Ouse
The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wa ...
and a small part of
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
around
Upminster
Upminster is a suburb, suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan.
Historically a rural ...
.
Corporate information
Anglian Water Services Ltd is a
private limited company
A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United Sta ...
that provides the majority of Anglian Water branded services and utilities and is registered in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
with company number 2366656.
[UK Companies House]
/ref> A sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
exists, including Anglian Water Property Holdings (UK) Ltd and Osprey Water Services Ltd.[
]
Customer service
Anglian Water came joint first in the qualitative 'Satisfaction by company' league table for water and sewerage companies in Ofwat's Service Incentive Mechanism Annual Report 2012/13, having ranked fourth in the same survey in 2011/12 and fifteenth in 2010/11
Campaigns
Keep It Clear
The Anglian Water "Keep It Clear" campaign aimed to reduce sewer blockages in the region caused by fats, oils, grease and unflushable items like baby wipes. The campaign also worked with community leaders to inform the public and offered free sink strainers to stop food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
going down drains. Following a seven-week trial in Peterborough, blockages fell by more than 80 per cent. The model is now being rolled out to other "hotspot" towns and cities in the region.
Drop 20
The "Drop 20" campaign encouraged the public to lower their water consumption by per day to reduce the energy needed to deliver water and upkeep infrastructure. Anglian's reasoning behind the campaign was to reduce their environmental impact and for water conservation
Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future human demand (thus avoiding water scarcity). Populati ...
, as the region is quite dry in comparison to other areas of the country. The company commented:
''"Where there's water, there's carbon – and quite a bit of it. Every bath, flush or glug has CO2 built into it, thanks to all the processes it takes to get it to the tap. So using less water is good news for the planet. It's good news for us too, because it's our job to keep supplies flowing to over 6 million customers in this dry region."''
Operations
It currently provides water for 2.6 million properties in a supply area of .
In 1997 Anglian took over Hartlepool Water.
Anglian Water Leisure
Anglian operates several reservoirs, including Rutland Water
Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in En ...
, Grafham Water
Grafham Water is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) north of Perry, Huntingdonshire. It was designated an SSSI in 1986. It is a reservoir with a circumference of about , is deep at maximum, and is the eighth largest rese ...
, Alton Water
Alton Water (or Alton Reservoir) is a manmade reservoir located on the Shotley peninsula. It is the largest in Suffolk, with a perimeter of over .
Construction
Due to a shortage of water in the Ipswich area in the 1960s, a list of twenty poten ...
, Pitsford Water
Pitsford Water or Pitsford Reservoir is a 413 hectare reservoir and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Brixworth in Northamptonshire. It is owned by Anglian Water, which manages it as a water park for walking, cycling, fishing, ...
, Ravensthorpe an
Taverham Mill
A separate leisure division of the company was formed to promote the use of these facilities for recreational use. Activities provided include water sports, fishing, bird watching, cycling and walking.
Performance
Leakage
In 2012/13 Anglian Water's leakage rate was 4.97m3/km/day; compared to 5.26m3/km/day in 2011/12, 6.10m3/km/day in 2010/11, 5.62m3/km/day in 2009/10, 5.60m3/km/day in 2008/09 and 2007/08.
Drinking water quality
Drinking water quality in 2012 was 99.96%, as in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2007. In 2008 it was 99.98%.
Environmental record controversies
Anglian Water states that it has a "commitment to the environment" and takes its "responsibility as a custodian of the environment very seriously." Compliance failures have, however, caused it to be described by the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
as a "repeat offender" regarding pollution. Instances include:
*July 1992 – Fined £18,000 by magistrates at Fakenham, Norfolk
Fakenham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, about north west of Norwich. The town is the junction of several local roads, including the A148 from King's Lynn to Cromer, the A1067 to Norwic ...
, after releasing sewage into a creek at Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea is a port town on the north coast of Norfolk, England.
The civil parish has an area of and in 2001 had a population of 2,451,Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household c ...
.
*April 1993 – Ranked eighth in the National Rivers Authority
The National Rivers Authority (NRA) was one of the forerunners of the Environment Agency of England and Wales, existing between 1989 and 1996.
Before 1989 the regulation of the aquatic environment had largely been carried out by the ten region ...
's "top ten" list of worst polluters.
*January 1995 – Listed again in the National Rivers Authority's top ten of worst polluters, having been convicted of polluting waterways on 16 occasions the previous year.
*February 1997 – Fined £7,500 at Luton Crown Court
Luton Crown Court is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, in George Street, Luton, England.
History
For much of the 20th century, the main venue for serious criminal court hearings in Bedfordshire was the Shire Hall, Bedford, S ...
after admitting river pollution at Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is northwes ...
.
*February 1997 – Fined £2,000 with £783 costs after oil from its Heigham Waterworks in Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
contaminated the River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare, despite being the larger of the two rivers. The river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.
The Wensum is ...
and its population of swan
Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
s.
*July 1997 – Set a water industry record by receiving three convictions in one week for water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water ...
.
*January 1999 – Fined £10,000 with £4,800 costs at Witham Magistrates' Court for supplying water unfit for human consumption contrary to the Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 (c. 56) is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament consolidating previous enactments relating to the water supply and the provision of wastewater services in England and Wales. It further implemented recommendations of ...
. The prosecution was brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) is a section of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) set up to regulate the public water supply companies in England and Wales.
Based in Whitehall, it produces an annual report showing the ...
and related to supplying contaminated water to 11,000 people in Halstead, Essex
Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011[Ipswich Crown Court
Ipswich Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Russell Road, Ipswich, England. It was completed in 2004.
History
Until the early 21st century, crown court hearings were held in the Civic Centre complex in Crown ...]
for supplying water unfit for human consumption. The water was contaminated with bacteria from cow and pig manure, causing an outbreak of diarrhoea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...
and stomach cramps in customers.
*March 1999 – Ranked sixth in the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
's league table of "worst polluters" in England and Wales during 1998.
*July 2000 – Ranked second in the Environment Agency's list of worst polluters, with total fines of £71,250 and 14 court appearances in 1999.
*September 2001 – Fined £21,000 with £7,345 in costs after pleading guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption to consumers in areas of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
in August 2000.
*October 2001 – 200 tons of raw sewage was discharged from a treatment plant in Wickford
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basil ...
into the River Crouch
The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex.
The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles.
Ro ...
, which killed fish and waterfowl along a stretch of the river. In 2002 the company were fined £200,000 at Basildon Crown Court for the incident. The fine was later reduced on appeal.
*2002 – Allowed pollution with raw sewage to wipe out most wildlife in Elstow Brook, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
. Fined £190,000.[
*July 2002 – Listed again by the Environment Agency in its top ten polluters league.
*February 2003 – Fined £17,000 for polluting the ]River Great Ouse
The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wa ...
in Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
with sewage.
*February 2003 – Fined £18,000 for pumping sewage effluent into the North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
off Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
.[
*June 2003 – Fined £12,000 with £3,442 costs after contaminating a waterway with raw sewage overflow from a pumping station.
*July 2003 – Ranked second in the Environment Agency's list of top ten polluters, with total fines of £285,000 for 2002. Barbara Young, the chief executive of the Environment Agency, criticised the polluters for "treat ngBritain like a dustbin" and warned that the situation would continue so long as "pathetic" penalties meant that it made economic sense for the worst offenders to carry on polluting. "It seems extraordinary that multi-million-pound businesses are still prepared to risk their reputations with careless and avoidable neglect of environmental responsibility," she said.
*June 2004 – Fined £18,000 with £1,748 costs after admitting polluting near Wilstead, Bedfordshire.
*July 2004 – Listed again in the Environment Agency's top ten of polluters.
*October 2008 – Fined £150,000 for "repeated illegal discharging from sewage works."
*July 2010 – Fined £27,000 with £28,000 costs at Basildon Crown Court for allowing untreated sewage from one of its pumping stations to leak into the River Crouch at ]Wickford
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basil ...
on 17 August 2009. This was Anglia Water's 90th conviction for polluting waterways.
*January 2011 – Fined £35,000 fine after discharging untreated sewage into the River Wid on 13 September 2009, killing hundreds of fish.
*May 2011 – Ranked first in an Environment Agency list of worst water polluters, with 296 "unconsented incidents".
*August 2011 – An Anglian Water pumping station caused sewage to leak into the River Crouch at Wickford
Wickford is a town and civil parish in the south of the English county of Essex, with a population of 33,486. Located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of London, it is within the Borough of Basildon along with the original town of Basil ...
and Runwell
Runwell is a village near Wickford and a civil parish on the A132 road, in the Chelmsford District, in the English county of Essex.
The village is surrounded by neighbouring parishes such as Battlesbridge and Rettendon.
Amenities
Runwell ...
. Peter Steward, from the River Crouch Conservation Trust, said: "It is such a small river it can't cope with sewage leaks."
*December 2011 – Fined £32,000 with £3,974 costs at Lincoln Magistrates' Court after polluting a Lincoln stream. Between July 2004 and October 2008, five previous pollutions were attributed to blockages in the foul sewer, and two formal cautions were issued to Anglian Water. "The defendant was aware of the vulnerability of the system before the 2011 incidents and failed to take appropriate measures," said Claire Bentley, prosecuting.
*October 2012 – Fined £36,000 with £5,973 costs at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court for polluting a stretch of the River Chelmer
The River Chelmer is a river that flows entirely through the county of Essex, England, running from the northwest of the county through Chelmsford to the River Blackwater near Maldon.
Course
The source of the river is in the parish of Debden i ...
in Thaxted, Essex in June 2012, killing hundreds of fish, including lamprey
Lampreys (sometimes inaccurately called lamprey eels) are an ancient extant lineage of jawless fish of the order Petromyzontiformes , placed in the superclass Cyclostomata. The adult lamprey may be characterized by a toothed, funnel-like s ...
, bullhead, minnow
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...
, stickleback
The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more closel ...
and stone loach
The stone loach (''Barbatula barbatula'') is a European species of fresh water ray-finned fish in the family Nemacheilidae. It is one of nineteen species in the genus ''Barbatula''. Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowin ...
. The fine was reduced on appeal.
*March 2013 – Fined £20,000 with £2,896 costs after sewage spilled from a pumping station at Filby
Filby is a village and civil parish in the English of Norfolk. The village is located north-west of Great Yarmouth and east of Norwich, between Filby and Ormesby Little Broads.
History
Filby's name is of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Viking origin d ...
, near Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
, into the Ormesby Little Broad
Ormesby is an area which is split between Borough of Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland, Borough of Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. It is in the Middlesbrough part of the Teesside built up area.
Spencer beck (stream), Bec ...
. Between September 2006 and March 2011, there were five previous similar incidents.
*June 2022 – Fined £300,000 after a pumping station breakdown led to pollution, killing more than 5,000 fish in the River Wid
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in Essex.
Carbon footprint
The company's carbon emissions were 487,659 tonnes in 2012/13, compared to 485,273 in 2011/12, 504,026 in 2010/11, 493,702 in 2009/10, 498,115 in 2008/09 and 478,450 in 2007/08.
Health and Safety Record
On 18 December 2015, Anglian Water Services Limited (AWSL) was fined £400,000 with costs of £41,711 after pleading guilty to breaches of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974c 37 (abbreviated to "HSWA 1974", "HASWA" or "HASAWA") is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enfor ...
. Luton Crown Court heard three workers were injured in two separate incidents at its water recycling centres in Dunstable
Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...
, Bedfordshire, and Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...
, Essex. The court also heard Anglian Water Services Ltd had four previous prosecutions by HSE, the most recent in 2010, 2004 and 1997. An improvement notice was served on AWSL following a fall from a height accident in 2007.
References
External links
Anglian Water website
{{Authority control
1989 establishments in England
Renewable resource companies established in 1989
Water companies of England
Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom
Companies based in Cambridgeshire
Economy of Northamptonshire
Economy of Essex
Economy of Suffolk
Economy of Norfolk
Economy of Bedfordshire
Economy of Cambridgeshire
Economy of Lincolnshire
Economy of Buckinghamshire
Companies supplying water and sanitation to London
Water pollution in the United Kingdom
British companies established in 1989