United Utilities

History

In 1989 the North West Water Authority, which was responsible for the provision of water to the North West of England, was privatised and became North West Water Group plc. In 1995, the company acquired NORWEB plc, the then regional electricity distributor and supplier, and on 1 April 1996 changed its name to United Utilities plc.

In January 1998, United Utilities listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but delisted its shares in May 2007. In 2000, the North West Water and NORWEB branding was phased out in favour of United Utilities, the rebranding was completed by the end of 2001. The company sold some of the businesses it had acquired, its telecoms business, Your Communications was sold in February 2006, and Vertex in March 2007.

In December 2007, United Utilities sold its electricity distribution network assets to North West Electricity Networks (Jersey) Limited, a joint venture between funds run by Colonial First State and JPMorgan Chase. Electricity North West became the licensed Distribution Network Operator for the north west of England as a result.

United Utilities operated and maintained the regional electricity network on behalf of Electricity North West until 2010, when Electricity North West bought the electricity network operations and maintenance arm from United Utilities to establish one Group.

In October 2011, United Utilities was selected as the preferred bidder by Severn Trent Water to purchase the Lake Vyrnwy estate for £11 million. United Utilities later withdrew from the bidding process. In February 2012, United Utilities proposed a national water pipeline linking water sources in Manchester to London. In April 2016, United Utilities received an 18-year loan of £500m from The European Investment Bank to support investment across the North West.

In May 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority granted United Utilities and Severn Trent Water approval to create a new joint venture company in preparation for the water market deregulation. In June 2016, United Utilities and Severn Trent Water formed Water Plus, in readiness to provide the retail services for their non-household customers.

In May 2019, the company announced the appointment of David Higgins as a non-executive director and to succeed Dr John McAdam as chairman.

In April 2022, Louise Beardmore appointed chief executive at United Utilities. As a result, five of the six top positions in UK water companies listed on the FTSE were held by women.{{Cite web|lang=en|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/apr/27/louise-beardmore-united-utilities-chief-executive-women-water-firms|title=Five out of six top jobs at FTSE water firms to be held by women

Operations

United Utilities currently supplies water to a population of 7.3 million people across the North West.

The company also manages 78,000 km wastewater pipes, which take sewage from 7.3 million people for treatment at nearly 600 wastewater treatment works. It also operates 37 renewable energy facilities.

Reservoirs

United Utilities owns some 166 water supply reservoirs, various river and stream intakes, as well as lake abstractions and numerous groundwater sources, to supply the region. Some reservoirs operated by the company are outside the North West such as the Longdendale Chain in Derbyshire, which were constructed by the Manchester Corporation in the 19th century, and remain networked to the North West's water supply. The principal reservoirs are as follows:

Cumbria

• Haweswater Reservoir
• Thirlmere

Cheshire

• Lamaload Reservoir
• Macclesfield Forest
  • Trentabank Reservoir
  • Ridgegate Reservoir

Derbyshire

• Longdendale Chain
  • Woodhead Reservoir
  • Torside Reservoir
  • Bottoms Reservoir
  • Arnfield Reservoir
• Hurst Reservoir
• Goyt Valley
  • Errwood Reservoir
  • Fernilee Reservoir Greater Manchester
• Belmont Reservoir
• High Rid Reservoir
• Rumworth Lodge Reservoir
• Gorton Reservoirs
• Heaton Park Reservoir
• Dove Stone Reservoir
• Chew Reservoir
• Greenfield Reservoir
• Strinesdale Reservoir
• Yeoman Hey Reservoir
• Ashworth Moor Reservoir
• Blackstone Edge Reservoir
• Kitcliffe Reservoir
• Norman Hill Reservoir
• Ogden Reservoir
• Piethorne Reservoir
• Rooden Reservoir
• Watergrove Reservoir
• Audenshaw Reservoirs
• Godley Reservoir
• Worthington Lakes Lancashire
• The Rivington Chain.
  • Anglezarke Reservoir
  • Upper Rivington Reservoir
  • Lower Rivington Reservoir
  • Yarrow Reservoir
  • Upper Roddlesworth Reservoir
  • Lower Roddlesworth Reservoir
  • Rake Brook Reservoir
  • High Bullough Reservoir
• Clowbridge
• Cowm Reservoir
• Haslingden Grane
• Stocks Reservoir
• Wayoh Reservoir

Service problems

Watermain breaks

In May 2010, a burst water main cut 15,000 customers in Moreton, Leasowe and Wallasey off water for 3 days. In November 2019, a burst pipe in a local treatment works disrupted water supply in the CH 41/42/43/63 areas and bottled water supply points were set up.

Water and land contamination

On 7 August 2015, cryptosporidium, a water-borne parasite that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting, had been detected in the water supply to Blackpool, Chorley, Fylde, Preston, South Ribble and Wyre affecting more than 300,000 customers. No cases of cryptosporidiosis were reported and by introducing of ultra-violet treatment units "boil water" notices could be lifted in some areas. Initial investigations by United Utilities and the Drinking Water Inspectorate had not identified the cause. Later the root cause was identified as run-off water from agricultural land following severe rainfall.

On 6 September 2015, the water supply was declared free from contamination, and restrictions were lifted. United Utilities was subsequently fined £300,000 at Preston Crown Court on 10 October 2017 for supplying water unfit for human consumption, with an additional £150,000 costs. It paid around £18 million in compensation to its customers. United Utilities held a number of seminars following this event to outline steps it had taken following the incident and share lessons with other water companies.

In 2023, it was reported that an area of council land in Stockport that had been earmarked for development into amenity woodland had been so contaminated by sewage discharge that it was unsafe to proceed and the plans had to be dropped. The same report noted that United Utilities were the worst-polluting water company in the UK in 2022, with "10 of the country’s 20 pipes that spilled the most sewage in 2022 [being] owned by United Utilities", and that they had discharged raw sewage into the River Ellen in Cumbria for almost 7,000 hours that year. The Environment Agency stated that United Utilities released raw sewage into rivers for over 425,491 hours in 2022, and that England's largest lake, Windermere in the Lake District, received sewage from storm overflows for 246 days that year. It was reported in figures submitted to the Environment Agency by the water industry that in the following year, 2023, over 33% of United Utilities outflows discharged raw sewage 60 times or more into waterways, and over the course of the year United Utilities discharged sewage into waterways for a total of 656,014 hours, representing a 54% increase in its sewage discharge compared with 2022.

On the evening of 28 February 2024 until the morning of 29 February, United Utilities pumped almost 10 e6l of raw sewage illegally into the middle of Windermere, after pumps at the pumping station in Bowness malfunctioned. The company failed to report this to the Environment Agency until 13 hours after the incident began.

Intrusion into the aquifer

In 2023 the company was fined £800,000 for illegally removing 22 e9l of water from the Lancashire aquifer.

References

References

1. "Annual Report 2025". United Utilities.
2. (2013-08-02). "United Utilities".
3. "Am I in the United Utilities water area?". United Utilities.
4. "United Utilities Annual Report 2020 info on supply area". United Utilities.
5. "United Utilities Annual Report 2020 regional impact". United Utilities.
6. "FTSE 100 Factsheet". FTSE Russell.
7. (25 June 2010). "Why a hosepipe ban in England's wettest region?". [[BBC News]].
8. "Water hardness".
9. "United Utilities - Share price history".
10. (30 January 1998). "United Utilities shares launch". [[The Independent]].
11. (30 May 2007). "United Utilities and ICI drop New York listings". [[The Guardian]].
12. (2006-02-02). "Thus pays £59m for United Utilities telecom arm".
13. Richard Wray. (2 June 2005). "United Utilities to sell telecoms arm". The Guardian.
14. (2007-01-15). "United Utilities sells outsourcing arm Vertex". Reuters.
15. Mark Milner. (24 November 2007). "United Utilities sells its power supply network". The Guardian.
16. link. (5 October 2011 Utility Week, 28 June 2010)
17. (29 June 2010). "United Utilities disposes of electricity maintenance and repair arm". [[Liverpool Post]].
18. (21 October 2011). "'Unanswered question' over Lake Vyrnwy estate sale". BBC News.
19. (22 June 2013). "Firm pulls out of deal to buy Lake Vyrnwy farmland".
20. (27 February 2012). "UU in rail pipe plan to ease north-south water divide". [[Manchester Evening News]].
21. Begum, Shelina. (14 April 2016). "United Utilities receives £500m European Investment Bank funding".
22. (3 May 2016). "Severn Trent and United Utilities win approval for joint venture". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
23. (13 May 2019). "Chairman designate appointed at United Utilities". Insider Media.
24. "Our region - United Utilities Group PLC Annual Report 2019".
25. "What we do - United Utilities Group PLC Annual Report 2019".
26. "Water Resources Management Plan". United Utilities.
27. "Woodhead Reservoir". United Utilities.
28. "Bottoms Reservoir". United Utilities.
29. "Rivington Reservoirs (main scheme)". Engineering Timelines.
30. (2010-05-30). "Water supply problems resolved". BBC.
31. Wirral view, Wirral Council. (2019-11-03). "DISRUPTION TO WATER SUPPLY".
32. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-33816989 "Lancashire homes forced to boil water due to cryptosporidium bug"], ''BBC News'', 7 August 2015, accessed 28 August 2015
33. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-34068556 "Lancashire water parasite alert enters fourth week"], ''BBC News'', 27 August 2015, accessed 28 August 2015
34. (25 August 2015). "Petition for parliamentary inquiry into Lancashire water bug". BBC News.
35. "Utility Week – United Utilities fully lifts boil water notice".
36. "United Utilities: cryptosporidium incident due to run-off water from agricultural land".
37. "Compensation - frequently asked questions".
38. (10 October 2017). "United Utilities fined £300,000 after water contamination scandal". The Telegraph.
39. "Franklaw: lessons learn". United Utilities.
40. (21 April 2023). "Sewage-soaked field stops creation of new woodland in Greater Manchester". The Guardian.
41. (29 May 2023). "Steve Coogan, Paul Whitehouse and Lee Mack join Windermere pollution protest". The Guardian.
42. (27 March 2024). "Water companies in England face outrage over record sewage discharges". The Guardian.
43. (15 May 2024). "Untreated sewage illegally pumped into Windermere". BBC News.
44. (16 August 2023). "United Utilities fined £800,000 for taking 22bn litres of water from aquifer".