Water company scoops top industry award

Northumbrian Water Group has been crowned the UK’s top water company at a ceremony to celebrate excellence within the industry.

The Water Company of the Year Award was presented virtually to Northumbrian Water Group at last night’s WWT (Water and Wastewater Treatment) Magazine digital Water Industry Awards.

It was awarded in recognition of the company’s all-round excellence in customer service, agenda-setting innovation, operational resilience and workforce best practice through its work in 2019.

The judges highlighted the company’s success with its Innovation Festival in 2019 that saw more than 3000 people from across 734 organisations work together and share ideas, resulting in the Dragonfly concept to help improve waterways and further work on Underground Mapping Project to create an assets register of pipes and cables, which has received recognition from the Government.

They also commended the company’s industry first, Northumbrian Water Group joined forces and collaborated with Anglian Water in September 2019 to host a joint Innovation Festival – Innovate East.

Heidi Mottram, CEO at Northumbrian Water Group (pictured), said: “I am delighted and immensely proud that Northumbrian Water has been given this award. To pick up Water Company of the Year and be shortlisted seven times is a great achievement for everyone involved.

“It’s down to the amazing people across our business, who go out of their way to deliver the best possible service to our customers across the North East and in Essex, Suffolk and London Boroughs.

“This recognition spurs us on even more and winning industry awards like this helps to give our customers the reassurance that they are getting the best service and value possible.”

Judges of the Water Industry Awards said: “A fantastic year for this company, with a dramatic improvement to its customer offering and stewardship and improvement to the environment.

“The initiatives Northumbrian Water Group has implemented resulted in marked improvements against several metrics not just in sector bust against other sectors to. A great company delivering for its customers and employees. Congratulations Northumbrian Water Group.”

As well as scooping last night’s top award for the second time in recent years, the company was shortlisted for a further six awards.