Severn Trent Water apologises for slow sewage spills response

Water companies have been criticised for the amount of sewage pumped into rivers and seas

Severn Trent Water has said the water industry should have acted faster to reduce sewage spills.

The firm made the comment after revealing an increase in profit and turnover.

It said it anticipated the "biggest investment period the sector has ever seen" and announced plans to boost capital investment by up to £1bn.

Last week the industry announced bills could rise across England as suppliers prepared to tackle spills.

Severn Trent reported a profit before tax and interest of £509m for the year to the end of March - up slightly from £506m - and an 11% boost in turnover to £2.2bn, as dividends to shareholders also rose to £261m.

On Wednesday, the firm said it hit 100% of its performance pledges, but added: "However, as a sector, we recognise that we should have given sewage activations much more attention and acted faster, and we want to be a driving force for positive change."

During 2022 raw sewage was dumped into rivers and seas for 1.75 million hours - or 825 times a day on average across England.

Suppliers are under pressure to modernise the Victorian-era sewage networks.

Water industry 'sorry'

Water UK represents Severn Trent, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, South West Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, United Utilities Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water England.

Speaking on Friday, its chair, Ruth Kelly, said: "We're sorry about the upset and the anger from the fact that there have been overspills of untreated sewage on to beaches and into rivers over the past few years. We're sorry that we didn't act sooner, and but we get it."

Severn Trent said it had significantly reduced sewage spillages and was investing billions to improve water and waste services.

The supplier serves about eight million people in homes and businesses in Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire.

Chief Executive Liv Garfield said: "We are expecting the biggest investment period the sector has ever seen, with a focus on water resources, improving environmental standards and on net zero, and we feel more than ready for this exciting opportunity ahead of us."

The company said capital investment could reach between £850m and £1bn over the next financial year and it also promised more financial support for customers.