Anglian Water firm with £6.6bn debt needs to improve

Anglian Water needs to improve, according to the Environment Agency after noting it paid out £5.5m in fines in 2022

Anglian Water has said it remains "financially secure" despite a £6.6bn debt and a two-star government grading.

Regan Harris, from Anglian Water, made the comment following questions about Thames Water facing a black hole of some £14bn.

The Environment Agency grading, which requires it to improve, was partly due to it being fined £5.5m in 2022.

Anglian Water, which received the same rating in 2021, said it "fully accepts that our performance must improve".

The Environment Agency released its annual report on the performance of England's nine water and sewerage companies on Wednesday.

The Environment Agency found Anglian Water caused 255 incidents during 2022, including 11 serious incidents

Anglian Water was found to be the worst-performing water company for self-reporting of all pollution incidents, the government agency said.

The main reasons it remained a two-star company was due to its 33 sewage pollution incidents per 10,000 km.

It also caused 255 incidents during 2022, including 11 serious incidents, the Environment Agency said.

Responding, Anglian Water said: "We take our responsibility to protect, restore and improve our region's environment incredibly seriously and fully accept that our performance must improve.

"Over the last two years we've drastically changed how we operate to address more effectively the unique and complex challenges facing our region."

Ms Harris spoke about the company's financial position during a public phone-in on BBC Radio Norfolk.

She said: "We are kind of middle-of-the-road when it comes to the debt we have as a company."

Anglian Water's operating debt was detailed in its March 2023 financial statement.

"The assurance we can give our customers is that we are not remotely in the same ballpark as Thames or Southern[Water]; we are very financially secure."

"Our regulator has zero-concerns about the way our financial structure is operated and the debt that we have," Ms Harris added.

The company said the way it was regulated was "focussed on keeping bills low for customers".

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The cost of living crisis had seen the firm put forward "the biggest ever package" for struggling customers.

"Equally water is cheap compared to other utilities," added Ms Harris.

"When you think it's £1.50 a day for all the water you need to survive, when you compare that to what energy costs might be, four or five times higher."

Anglian Water supplies drinking water to all or parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Suffolk.

The water services regulator Ofwat has been asked to comment.

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