Northumbrian Water Group is celebrating after winning two awards at a prestigious ceremony to celebrate excellence in the water industry.
The North East-based water company came out top in two categories at the Water Industry Awards, which took place last night (20 May) at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham.
Northumbrian Water received the Customer Initiative of the Year award for its Water Without the Worry campaign, which brings together the company′s affordability and priority services initiatives to ensure that customers are able to access the services they need. This ranges from affordability of water bills and preventing bogus callers to support for those with special medical needs, access challenges and those in crisis or suffering bereavement.
The company also scooped the Data Project of the Year award for its Water Poverty Eradication Modelling. This innovative project is utilising big data to support Northumbrian Water′s goal of eradicating water poverty across its operating areas by 2030. Having access to this data will help the company provide vital support to customers who need it most, before issues become too serious.
Northumbrian Water′s Chief Executive, Heidi Mottram said: "We are absolutely delighted to win the Customer Initiative of the Year and Data Project of the Year prizes at the Water Industry Awards. Winning these two categories is particularly special as they demonstrate our commitment to eradicating water poverty within our supply areas by 2030 - something we are incredibly passionate about.
"Ensuing water services are affordable and accessible to all of our customers is our industry leading aspiration, and these award wins show we are already making great progress on this.
"Our continuing success is down to the 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 and Suffolk.
Winning these awards spurs us on to continue getting even better and making sure we remain at the top of the water industry, so that our customers get the best service and value possible."
Robert Light, Northern Chair for the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Northumbrian Water deserve great credit for having the ambition to commit to eradicating water poverty at a time when we know about one in eight households worry about whether they can afford their water bill. We look forward to working closely with the company to make sure no-one in vulnerable circumstances is left to suffer in silence."
Northumbrian Water was also shortlisted in the Alliance and Partnership Initiative, Wastewater Innovation Project and Water Company of the Year categories at last night′s ceremony.
This follows the company′s success at the Utility Week Awards last December, when it received IT Initiative of the Year and the Transformation and Innovation Award. In February the company received national benchmark status from the UK water industry competency body, Energy & Utility Skills. Later that month it became the only water company in the world to be included in this year′s World′s Most Ethical Company® list - the eighth time the company had received this global recognition from the Ethisphere Institute.