United Utilities has revealed a £13.7 billion (€15.8 billion) investment plan to deliver cleaner rivers, more reliable water supplies and extra support for customers struggling with bills in the north-west.
The proposals, if accepted, will be the biggest ever investment in water infrastructure for more than 100 years and support 30,000 jobs across the region, including 7,000 new jobs.
From 2025, the company is planning to deliver the best quality tap water by investing in aqueducts to safeguard water supplies for more than 2 million customers and improve water quality for a further 1.4 million.
More than 900 km of water mains will be upgraded to reduce leakage and interruptions to supplies and further work to improve resilience would halve the chance of having a hosepipe ban in the future.
Louise Beardmore, CEO of United Utilities, said: “We’ve been listening to customers and communities right across our region to understand what really matters. What’s clear is that we need to improve services for customers and the environment.
“That’s why we are proposing the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in over 100 years. It’s a hugely ambitious plan, and we've engaged with 95,000 people across our five great counties of Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, to make sure we get it right, shaping our plans for each county to address the things that they’ve told us matter most.
“Our plan will secure water supplies for the future, halving the need for hosepipe bans, reduce storm overflow spills into our rivers and seas and upgrade our water network to cut leakage and service interruptions for customers.”
Record investment in the pipeline for the North West of the UK
