Northumbrian Water will invest around £180 million on essential improvements in the water and wastewater networks during 2018 as part of the Group’s £1.1 billion planned programme of works from 2015 to 2020.
The company’s extensive investment programme not only brings major improvements for customers it also supports thousands of jobs and local businesses who supply products and services.
Work to protect homes from flooding from the water company’s 32,000km sewer network continues to be among top priorities together with improvements to drinking water quality delivered through its 16,000km of water pipes.
The charges for water and wastewater services for Northumbrian Water’s customers during 2018/19 have been announced and will see customers, on average, paying around £1.10p per day for all their drinking water and sewerage services.
Water bills in the North East will remain among the lowest in the country with an increase, compared to last year, of around just 3p a day, 21p a week.
This small increase will go towards the company continuing its multi-million pound improvement programme to maintain and improve drinking water quality, maintain a robust wastewater network, protect the environment and to deliver unrivalled customer service to its 2.7 million customers in the North East.
Two such large scale projects that are currently ongoing for the region are:
Horsley Water Treatments upgrade: £46m is being invested to upgrade Horsley Water Treatment Works, near Hexham. This work will expand and protect the treatment of water supply to the whole of the Tyneside area for years to come. Work is due for completion in December 2018.
Durham city sewer networks improvements: A three-pronged approach to improving the performance of the sewer network in Durham City is about to begin. Alongside Durham County Council, Northumbrian Water will be working in Flass Vale, Elvet Riverside and Walkergate, upgrading and increasing the sewer network capacity to help reduce the flood risk to the area and protect the environment.
Heidi Mottram, Northumbrian Water’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Investing in the future of water for the region is our priority and we will continue to invest in schemes to provide clean, clear tap water that tastes good and to protect the environment and peoples’ homes from flooding.
“What we are investing in not only delivers improvements for our customers, but is also helping to provide much needed work for local companies and secure jobs in the regions we supply.
“Our household customers will only pay on average around £1.10p per day for all their drinking water and sewerage services which represents good value for money.
“We have focused on our efficiency to keep bills as low as possible but we are very aware that some people have difficulty managing the family budget and the affordability of our services is always a concern.
“We offer many ways to assist people through our SupportPLUS scheme and would urge any customers who think they may experience difficulty to get in touch with us as soon as possible.”
Customers who are facing difficulty in paying their bills can find more information at www.nwl.co.uk/your-home/your-account/Difficulty-paying.aspx
Or by seeking help from independent advice agencies such as Stepchange at www.stepchange.org