The Environment Agency (EA) has announced that Severn Trent has achieved the top-rated four-star award in the Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) for the sixth consecutive year — a record-breaking milestone.

It reflects the Midland’s water company’s long-term commitment to protecting the environment and supporting the communities it serves, as it delivers its biggest ever investment programme across the region.

This recognition places Severn Trent as the only top-performing water company in the EA’s assessment, consistently meeting and exceeding tightening environmental standards.  This is across key areas including biodiversity, pollution prevention and sustainable water management.

Liv Garfield, CEO of Severn Trent said, “Being awarded the top-rated four-star status is testament to the incredible teams at Severn Trent and the real, lasting change we’re delivering for the environment. It’s the result of hard work, major investment over many years and strong collaboration with our partners and communities.

 “It’s the sixth consecutive year that we have achieved the top-rated award, with a backdrop of tightening environmental standards. One year is a milestone – six years is an industry record, and our teams are proud of it. And with our largest-ever investment programme underway, we’re fully focussed on driving the environmental improvements our customers and communities expect.”

As part of the delivery to achieve four-star status in the 2024 assessment period Severn Trent has:

• Completed 580 environmental improvement schemes in just one year

• Achieved 99% compliance with discharge permits across 648 wastewater sites

• Delivered the joint best total pollutions reduction performance and the best pollutions performance across the past five years

• Hit the target on ‘Supply Demand Balance Index’, which measures the water available for supply compared to potential dry year demand, thanks in part to Severn Trent’s best leakage performance, which has culminated in a leakage reduction of 16.8% across the past five years

Criteria have been regularly tightened over the years to reflect rising expectations for water company performance, so the bar is higher than ever.  Only Severn Trent Water received the top four-star rating for industry leading EPA performance.

A shared mission

Progress is made possible through collaboration and that’s why Severn Trent works closely with environmental charities, local authorities, and regional bodies to ensure its investment lasting value.

Joe Pimblett, CEO of Severn Rivers Trust said, “Severn Trent’s sixth consecutive four-star rating represents sustained progress, at a critical time for our rivers. However, as indicated by the continued dire ecological status of so many waterways throughout the Severn & Trent catchments, there is much more that must be done. This will require coordinated action and collaboration across sectors, particularly within the water, agriculture, and transport industries.

"The scale and ambition of Severn Trent’s current investment programme, suggests a serious intent to drive lasting change. Continued investment, transparency and innovation will be key to sustaining this momentum.”

Looking ahead

Almost ten months into the 2025 assessment period, Severn Trent is on track to achieve a seventh consecutive year of four-star environmental performance. A range of initiatives are underway to drive year-on-year improvement including:

• Upgrades to over 400 sewage pumping stations

• Investing £300m over the next five years to reduce pollutions

• Doubling the rate of mains renewal to further reduce leakage - 16% reduction in leakage off the back of what is already the industry leading performance

• Multimillion pound investment to reduce the use storm overflows, through targeted infrastructure upgrades including storm tanks to capture rainwater, surface water separation and smaller effective solutions such as flap valves have been delivered

• Investing in further utilisation of AI & technology to provide the most innovative response to environmental challenges and to predict pollutions before they occur

ENDS

Notes to editors

• The EPA report is an independent comparison of environmental performance across the sector. Since 2011, the EA has used the EPA to rate each company in England from 1 star to 4 stars, to highlight where improvement in water company performance is required.   
• The assessment currently comprises seven different metrics which tighten every year to drive continued improvement in environmental standards.
• The annual report covers performance across the 2024 calendar year. 
• The metrics are regularly tightened over the years to reflect rising expectations of water company performance. Applying the current 2024 metrics retroactively shows a steady trend of improvement since 2011. For example, using 2024 metrics the overall star rating in 2011 would have been 11—improving to 25 in 2023. More information in the star ratings 2011-2024 report.

Details of the Environmental Performance Assessment and individual metrics can be found here: EPA report

Pictured: Severn Trent is delivering a £25 million project to upgrade the sewer network in what is an incredible feat of engineering to benefit residents in Stroud, Gloucestershire for generations to come. A new and enormous concrete storm tank that uses smart controls has been built to hold up to 7.4 million litres of wastewater back during severe weather events, before returning it to the treatment works when rainfall has subsided. This work will also provide people living in Stroud with an upgraded sewer network by creating more storage and larger sewer pipes, helping to protect homes and businesses from blockages and flooding.