Severn Trent
Encyclopedia
Severn Trent plc is a British public utility
. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange
and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
.
Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.
The main companies in the group are Severn Trent Water and Severn Trent Services. Severn Trent Laboratories was rebranded as part of Severn Trent Services in 2010 in order to better streamline the company to give a single worldwide image, rather than a series of separate organisations with different identities.
It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991
.
, to supply fresh water and treat sewage
for around 8 million people living in the Midlands
of England and also certain regions of Wales. It took its name from the two major rivers in this area, the Severn
and the Trent
. It was privatised in 1989 and in 1991 it went on to acquire Biffa
, a leading waste management business.
In October 2006 Biffa
was demerged from the Severn Trent group and is now listed separately on the Stock Exchange
. In January 2007 the American side of Severn Trent Laboratories was sold to HIG Capital. In September 2007 the company announced they would be closing their headquarters in Birmingham and relocating to a custom built office complex in the centre of Coventry
in autumn 2010.
It did not take over the following water supply companies, but became the sewerage authority for the companies' areas. The companies continued to supply water as before:
It also took over two river authorities, responsible for control of water pollution:
Severn Trent Water has a call centre in Coventry dealing with operational emergencies and billing enquiries, and two other call centres in Derby and Shrewsbury which deal solely with billing enquiries. Its head office is the new custom built Severn Trent Centre in Coventry.
During 2010 the company announces plans to close offices in Leicester, Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent.
In July 2008, Ofwat confirmed that it had fined Severn Trent Water £35.8 million for deliberately providing false information to Ofwat and for delivering poor service to its customers.
In 2008 the Company was fined £2m (reduced from a previous judgement of £4m) for poor information reporting and covering up misleading leakage data.
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index
FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the footsie , is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange....
.
Severn Trent is a group of companies employing more than 15,000 people across the UK, US and mainland Europe, with some involvement in the Middle East.
The main companies in the group are Severn Trent Water and Severn Trent Services. Severn Trent Laboratories was rebranded as part of Severn Trent Services in 2010 in order to better streamline the company to give a single worldwide image, rather than a series of separate organisations with different identities.
It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991
Water Industry Act 1991
The Water Industry Act 1991 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 Law Commission.-Sections:Part 1 deals with the...
.
History
The Company was established in 1974 as the Severn Trent Water Authority, one of the ten water authorities in England formed under the Water Act 1973Water Act 1973
The Water Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales...
, to supply fresh water and treat sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
for around 8 million people living in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
of England and also certain regions of Wales. It took its name from the two major rivers in this area, the Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
and the Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
. It was privatised in 1989 and in 1991 it went on to acquire Biffa
Biffa
Biffa Waste Services is one of the UK's largest integrated waste management businesses, providing collection, landfill, recycling and special waste services to local authorities and industrial and commercial clients.-History:...
, a leading waste management business.
In October 2006 Biffa
Biffa
Biffa Waste Services is one of the UK's largest integrated waste management businesses, providing collection, landfill, recycling and special waste services to local authorities and industrial and commercial clients.-History:...
was demerged from the Severn Trent group and is now listed separately on the Stock Exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
. In January 2007 the American side of Severn Trent Laboratories was sold to HIG Capital. In September 2007 the company announced they would be closing their headquarters in Birmingham and relocating to a custom built office complex in the centre of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
in autumn 2010.
Utilities acquired
The water authority took over the following public sector water supply utilities:- Birmingham Corporation Water DepartmentBirmingham Corporation Water DepartmentThe Birmingham Corporation Water Department was responsible for the supply of water to Birmingham from 1876 to 1974. It was also known as Birmingham Corporation Waterworks Department.-Early History 1808 - 1876:...
- Coventry Corporation
- Leicester Corporation
- City of Nottingham Water DepartmentCity of Nottingham Water DepartmentThe City of Nottingham Water Department , formerly the Nottingham Corporation Water Department , was responsible for the supply of water to Nottingham from 1880 to 1974.-Original Nottingham Waterworks Company:...
- Stafford Corporation
- Wolverhampton Corporation
- Cannock Rural District CouncilCannock Rural DistrictCannock was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1974.It was created by the Local Government Act 1894, based on the Cannock rural sanitary district, and has the town of Cannock on its eastern border...
- Central Nottinghamshire Water Board
- Derwent Valley Water BoardDerwent Valley Water BoardThe Derwent Valley Water Board was constituted by Act of Parliament in 1899 to supply the cities of Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield and the county of Derbyshire with water impounded by a series of reservoirs along the upper reaches of the River Derwent in the Peak District of...
- East Shropshire Water Board
- Montgomeryshire Water Board
- North Derbyshire Water Board
- North East Warwickshire Water Board
- North West Gloucestershire Water Board
- North West Leicestershire Water Board
- North West Worcestershire Water Board
- Rugby Joint Water Board
- South Derbyshire Water Board
- South Warwickshire Water Board
- South West Worcestershire Water Board
- Staffordshire Potteries Water Board
- West Shropshire Water Board
It did not take over the following water supply companies, but became the sewerage authority for the companies' areas. The companies continued to supply water as before:
- East Worcestershire Waterworks Company
- South Staffordshire Waterworks Company South Staffordshire WaterSouth Staffordshire Water PLC known as South Staffs Water, is a privately owned water company supplying water to parts of Staffordshire and the West Midlands, England....
It also took over two river authorities, responsible for control of water pollution:
- Trent River AuthorityTrent River AuthorityThe Trent River Authority was one of 27 river authorities created by the Water Resources Act 1963 . It took over the powers of the existing Trent River Board and was given additional duties to monitor water quality and protect water resources....
- Severn Trent Authority
Operations
The company supplies about 3.7m households and businesses in its area.Severn Trent Water has a call centre in Coventry dealing with operational emergencies and billing enquiries, and two other call centres in Derby and Shrewsbury which deal solely with billing enquiries. Its head office is the new custom built Severn Trent Centre in Coventry.
During 2010 the company announces plans to close offices in Leicester, Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent.
Regulation and Criticism
Like other water companies in England, Severn Trent Water is regulated by OFWAT, the Water Services Regulation Authority.In July 2008, Ofwat confirmed that it had fined Severn Trent Water £35.8 million for deliberately providing false information to Ofwat and for delivering poor service to its customers.
In 2008 the Company was fined £2m (reduced from a previous judgement of £4m) for poor information reporting and covering up misleading leakage data.
Reservoirs
The company operates a number of reservoirs, many of which are accessible for recreational use. These include:- Carsington ReservoirCarsington ReservoirCarsington Water is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water in Derbyshire, England. The reservoir takes water from the River Derwent at Ambergate during winter months, pumping up to the reservoir by long tunnels and aqueduct. Water is released back into the river during summer months for water...
– River Derwent compensation flow pumped storage facility (collapsed during construction) - Clywedog reservoirClywedog reservoirThe Clywedog reservoir is a reservoir in the Welsh county of Powys, located off the B4518 road near the town of Llanidloes.The reservoir was formed by damming the Afon Clywedog, a tributary of the River Severn. Its concrete buttress dam is the tallest concrete dam in the United Kingdom, with a...
- Upper Derwent ValleyUpper Derwent ValleyThe Upper Derwent Valley is an area of the Peak District National Park in England. It largely lies in Derbyshire, but its north eastern area lies in Sheffield, South Yorkshire...
(Derwent, HowdenHowden ReservoirThe Howden Reservoir is a Y-shaped reservoir, top one of the three in the Upper Derwent Valley, England. The western half of the reservoir lies in Derbyshire, whereas the eastern half is in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The county border runs through the middle of the reservoir, following the...
and Ladybower ReservoirLadybower ReservoirLadybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through Howden Reservoir, then Derwent Reservoir, and finally through Ladybower...
s) – Built by "Derwent Valley Water Board" to supply the cities of SheffieldSheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, and LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. - Draycote WaterDraycote WaterDraycote Water is a reservoir and country park near the village of Dunchurch, 6 km south of Rugby in Warwickshire, England, owned and operated by Severn Trent Water...
- Foremark ReservoirForemark ReservoirForemark Reservoir is a reservoir in South Derbyshire owned by Severn Trent which is also a nature reserve open to the public for walking, fishing, bird watching and horse riding. It is supplied from water from the River Dove and it was constructed in the 1970s. The reservoir is accessible from...
- Lake VyrnwyLake VyrnwyLake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal...
- Tittesworth reservoirTittesworth reservoirTittesworth Reservoir is a water storage reservoir near Leek, Staffordshire, England, fed by the River Churnet.The reservoir and associated water treatment works are owned and operated by Severn Trent Water. A visitor centre contains a restaurant and small shop...
- Ogston ReservoirOgston ReservoirOgston Reservoir is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water in Derbyshire. It is near the villages of Brackenfield, Ashover and Clay Cross....
– in the Amber ValleyAmber ValleyAmber Valley is a local government district and borough in Derbyshire, England. It takes its name from the River Amber and covers a semi-rural area with a number of small towns formerly based around coal mining and engineering... - Severn Trent Water also runs the filtration works at the Elan Valley ReservoirsElan Valley ReservoirsThe Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales , using the rivers Elan and Claerwen...
.