Water company told to improve after 307 pollution incidents

Anglian Water has once again been given a rating of two stars

A water company that supplies the East of England needs to improve after hundreds of pollution incidents were recorded in a year, a regulating body said.

Anglian Water, which is based in Cambridge, has been given a rating of two stars by The Environment Agency, under the Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA).

The report said the reason for the rating was due to 307 pollution incidents from sewage and a further 11 serious incidents in 2023.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said changes the company introduced will take time to be reflected as an improved EPA rating.

Anglian Water supplies parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Rutland and Suffolk - as well as Hartlepool in north-east England.

It was one of five companies to be given a rating of two stars, which it also received in both 2021 and 2022.

Anglian Water said it takes its responsibility to the region’s environment incredibly seriously

The EPA has been used since 2011 and each company is rated between two and four stars.

The regulator hoped the report highlighted where companies needed to push for improvement across the sector.

Sadia Moeed, area director for Environment Agency in East Anglia said: "We are disappointed that Anglian Water is a two-star company for the third year in a row.

"Where there is evidence of non-compliance, we will not hesitate to pursue the water company and take appropriate action."

'Positive changes'

An Anglian Water spokesperson admitted it "must do better on some critical measures of environmental performance."

They added: “We’ve drastically changed how we operate to address more effectively the unique and complex challenges facing our region, but we knew it was going to take time for this to be reflected in our environmental performance and an improved EPA rating.

"We are seeing positive changes in many areas of work, and the recent £100m of additional funding from our shareholders means that we can continue with this strategy at pace.”