About us

Our history

Charting our development from regional water authority to FTSE100 company

Timeline

1

Pre-1945

  • 1,000 water authorities
  • 1,400 sewage authorities
2

1945

Water Act created:

  • 100 Water Boards
  • 50 Local Authorities
  • 29 privately-owned statutory water companies
3

1973

Water Act created:

  • 10 water (and sewerage) authorities
  • 29 privately-owned statutory water companies
4

1974

Severn Trent Water Authority established through the amalgamation of the Severn River Authority, the Trent River Authority, and the sewage disposal responsibilities of the councils within its area

5

1989

  • Privatisation and the creation of Severn Trent PLC
  • The 10 water authorities were floated on the London Stock Exchange and members of the public were able to buy and sell shares
  • Ofwat established to regulate the newly-privatised water industry, financed by licence fees recoverable from the
    water companies
6

1991

Acquired waste management company Biffa

7

1992

Inset or New Appointments and Variations (NAV) regime introduced

8

2002

Severn Trent first in industry to publish its Network Access Code

9

2003

Water Act allowed competition for customers using over 50Ml a year

10

2006

Biffa de-merged from the group

11

2007

The American side of Severn Trent Laboratories was sold to HIG Capital

12

2015

Sale of our US Water Purification business to Industrie De Nora

13

2016

  • WaterPlus created as a joint venture between Severn Trent and United Utilities to serve customers in the soon to be opened non household (business) market
14

2017

  • Non household market opened in England for competition
  • Purchase of Dee Valley Water which is combined with Severn Trent Water’s customers in Powys to become a purely Welsh company called Hafren Dyfrdwy
  • Sale of our Italian Operating Services business to our former joint venture partner, Acea S.p.A
  • Sale of our US Operating Services business to PPC Enterprises LLC and Alston Capital Partners LLC
15

2018

  • Purchase of five food waste anaerobic digestion plants and five green and comingled waste composting sites from Agrivert
16

2019

  • Severn Trent one of just three water companies to receive fast-track status from Ofwat for its plans for AMP7
17

2023

  • Severn Trent Green Power's acquisition of Andigestion Limited which operates two food waste anaerobic digestion plants in Devon and Gloucestershire.