How many are there and what do they do?
Water suppliers are the companies that provide water only and water and sewerage for general domestic use to the UKs homes. Suppliers are responsible for all customers in an agreed geographical region and customers are currently unable to switch from one water supplier to another. There are currently 25 water suppliers covering England, Scotland and Wales. Services provided by your water supplier  Your water supplier has a duty to supply you with a continuous supply of water at an adequate pressure for your daily use. Your water should be safe to drink and the quality is regulated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) for England and Wales. Each water supplier is tested regularly by inspectors to ensure the water is safe to drink. Tests will cover bacteria, chemicals such as nitrate and pesticides, metals such as lead and the way the water looks and how it tastes. Your water pressure should be sufficient to fill a one gallon (4.5 litre) container in 30 seconds. Water rates  To cover the cost of supplying you with water and sewerage services, water suppliers charge customers a yearly water rate. The water rates are regulated by Ofwat, the water industry regulator. Every five years the water suppliers suggest the prices they would like to set and Ofwat reviews and decides on a price to suit both the suppliers and customers. Water rates as well as covering day to day services need to cover the cost of renewing water pipes and treatment plants to maintain the quality of water and to improve customer services. Water suppliers do charge different rates and these differences are due to the geographical area which the company covers and water availability. Get a meter from your water supplier  Switching to a water meter may mean you pay your water supplier less for your supply. Read our guide to water meters to see if you can save money by switching a meter or save water with water efficiency ideas. Northwest London and the Home Counties, including Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, the London Boroughs of Harrow and Hillingdon and parts of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Enfield. We also supply water to the Tendring peninsula in Essex and the Folkestone and Dover areas of Kent. About Affinity water  Affinity are the largest water-only supplier in the UK, with 3.5 million customers. They were formerly known as Veolia Water Central, Veolia Water East, Veolia Water Southeast. Upper Rissington and Victory Fields, Upper Rissington, Gloucestershire and Knowle Village. Anglian Water supplies water and sewerage services to the largest geographical area of all the water companies in England & Wales, serving East Anglia and East Midlands, from the River Humber to the River Thames. This region is also the driest in Britain with approximately 600mm of rain a year. About Anglian water  Anglian Water is part of AWG PLC, which is a FTSE 250 company with 10,000 staff across the UK. Anglian Water has around six million water customers, serving 2.6 million properties. Anglian Water supplies over one billion litres of water a day through its network of 36,000km of water mains and operates 1,077 sewage treatment works. Water hardness  Anglian Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Anglian Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Bristol Water supplies 300 million litres of water a day to Bristol and the surrounding area - about 2,400 square kilometres in total, with a population of 1,066,000. About Bristol water  Bristol Water was first established by Act of Parliament in 1846 as Bristol Waterworks Company. The first barrow reservoir was built in 1850 and reservoirs were later built at Blagdon, Cheddar and Chew Stoke. Bristol Water now uses 68 sources of water, including 14 raw water reservoirs and 139 covered reservoirs. As well as the original reservoirs at Blagdon, Cheddar and Chew Stoke, Bristol Water now also obtains over half of its local water supply from the River Severn. Over a million people are supplied with water by Bristol Water via 6,382 km of local water mains, 18 treatment works and 164 pumping stations. Bristol Water PLC is also the parent company of Bristol Water Services, Water Systems Optimization Inc, Bristol Wessex Billing Service Limited and Lawrence, a civil and mechanical engineering contractor. Water hardness  Bristol Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Bristol Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Cambridge Water supplies water services to an area of 453 square miles in South Cambridgeshire. Like its neighbour, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water supplies water in East Anglia, where rainfall is only half the national average, and Cambridge is the driest part of this region. Cambridge also has a high population density and that population is increasing at a greater rate than many areas of the United Kingdom. About Cambridge water  Cambridge Water began life as The Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Company in 1853. By the time the company was renamed as Cambridge Water PLC in 1996 it had taken over the water undertakings of five local authorities and two bulk supply joint water boards. In 1999 Cambridge Water was taken over by Union Fenosa and in 2004 was sold to Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Ltd.  Today Cambridge Water supplies 125,000 properties via 2,216 km of water mains and 34 storage towers and reservoirs. Just over half of these properties are metered. Water hardness  Cambridge Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Cambridge Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Cholderton & District Water supplies water services to the villages of Cholderton and Shipton Bellinger in Wiltshire. About Cholderton & District water  Cholderton & District Water supplies water to 2,100 people via a treatment works, a service reservoir and 44km of water mains. All of the water supplied by Cholderton & District Water is derived from boreholes and aquifers. Water hardness  Cholderton & District Water is in an area of hard to very hard water. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Cholderton & District Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Dee Valley Water supplies water services to an area of 831 square kilometres in North East Wales and North West England. About Dee Valley water  Dee Valley Water was formed when Chester Water Company and Wrexham Water Company merged in 1997. Dee Valley Water derives its water from eight impounding reservoirs, two abstractions from the River Dee and two underground sources. As a result Dee Valley Water supplies approximately 70 million litres per day to over 257,000 customers, via seven treatment works, 1,970km of water mains, 25 pumping stations and 37 clean water storage reservoirs. Water hardness  Dee Valley Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Dee Valley Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Dwr Cymru supplies water and sewerage services to most of Wales, as well as parts of Hereford, Worcester and Gloucestershire. About Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water)  Dwr Cymru supplies both water and sewerage services to 1.2 domestic customers in Wales and is the sixth largest water company in England & Wales. Dwr Cymru delivers 900 million litres of water a day via 84 impounding reservoirs, 106 water treatment works, 620 pumping stations, 740 service reservoirs and a network of 26,800km of water mains. Dwr Cymru runs its sewerage services through a network of 17,600km of sewers, incorporating 1,650 sewage pumping stations and 3,000 combined sewer overflows. Waste water is then treated at 850 waste water treatment works. Water hardness  Dwr Cymru ranges from both soft to moderately hard water. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Dwr Cymru can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Essex and Suffolk Water  Essex and Suffolk Water supplies water services to Essex, South Norfolk and North Suffolk. About Essex and Suffolk water  Essex and Suffolk Water is part of Northumbrian Water Ltd as a result of a merger with Northumbrian Water in April 2000. Together the two companies have 2,259 staff. Essex and Suffolk Water supplies water to 1.7 million people via 25 drinking water treatment plants, 110 service reservoirs and 8,441km of water mains. Essex and Suffolk Water derives 95% of its water supply from rivers and reservoirs and the other 5% from boreholes and aquifers. Water hardness  Essex and Suffolk Water are in an area of hard to very hard water. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Essex and Suffolk Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Independent Water Networks  Northern Ireland Water  About Northern Ireland Water  NIW is a government-owned business providing water and sewerage to the area. They currently serve roughly 1.8 million people. Northumbrian Water provides water and sewerage services to almost two million properties in the North East of England. About Northumbrian water  Northumbrian Water, along with Essex and Suffolk Water, is part of Northumbrian Water Ltd as a result of a merger April 2000. Together the two companies have 2,259 staff. Northumbrian Water derives 95% of its water from rivers and reservoirs and the other 5% from boreholes and aquifers (source: Drinking Water Inspectorate). Water is then supplied via 35 water treatment plants, 242 service reservoirs and 16,789km of water mains. Northumbrian Water collects waste water via 437 sewage treatment works, 683 sewage pumping stations and 15,484 km of sewers. Water hardness  Northumbrian Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Northumbrian Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Portsmouth Water supplies water services to an area of 868 square kilometres, stretching through Hampshire and West Sussex from the River Meon in the west to the River Arun in the east, with a population of 654,800. About Portsmouth water  Portsmouth Water dates back to 1857 when the Borough of Portsmouth Waterworks Company was formed to supply water to Portsmouth. Portsmouth Water now has 235 employees and an annual income of 28 million. Deriving its water from two groups of springs, one river and 18 borehole sites, Portsmouth Water provides 175 million litres a day via 21 reservoirs, 20 treatments works and 3,222 km of water mains. Portsmouth Water supplies water to 286,680 properties, 17,780 of which have water meters. Water hardness  Portsmouth Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Portsmouth Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Scottish Water supplies water and sewerage services to an area of 78,000 square kilometres - a third of the area of Britain. This includes almost 10,000 km of coastline. About Scottish water  Scottish Water was formed in April 2002 when three former water authorities, East, West and North of Scotland, merged. It employs 4,200 people across four operational areas - North West, North East, South West and South East. Scottish Water is the sole water and waste water service provider to 2.2 million households, via 1,896 waste water works, 371 water treatment works, 46,000 km of water pipes and 39,000km of sewer pipes. Severn Trent Water provides water and sewerage services to over seven million customers in central England and parts of Wales. This area stretches from the Humber Estuary in the north to the Bristol Channel in the south, and from Llyn Clywedog, Wales in the west to Lincolnshire in the east. About Severn Trent water  Severn Trent Water is part of Severn Trent PLC, an international utility services and environmental solutions company. Severn Trent PLC has 4,635 employees and an annual turnover of 893.2 million making it the world's fourth largest privately owned water company. Severn Trent Water derives 65% of its water supply from rivers and reservoirs and the other 35% from boreholes and aquifers (source: Drinking Water Inspectorate). Severn Trent Water then delivers its water supply via 534 service reservoirs, 20 treatment works and 45,674km of water mains. Severn Trent Water collects and treats waste water via 1,018 sewage treatment works and 53,325km of sewers. Water hardness  Severn Trent Water supplies water that can be between soft to moderately hard. However water hardness levels can vary within each area. Severn Trent Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. South Staffordshire Water supplies water services to an area of almost 1,490 square kilometres, from the edge of Ashbourne in the north, to Halesowen in the south, and from Burton on Trent in the east to Kinver in the west, with a population of nearly 1.25 million. About South Staffordshire water  South Staffordshire Water was formed in 1853 to supply water to the Black Country. The water supplied by South Staffordshire Water is drawn from two major surface sources - Chelmarsh reservoir and Blithfield reservoir, which was opened by the Queen Mother in 1953. Treated water is distributed via South Staffordshire Water's 25 service reservoirs and 5,722 km of water mains. Water hardness  South Staffordshire Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. South Staffordshire Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. South East Water supplies water services to parts of Kent, Hampshire, Berkshire, Sussex and Surrey, an area of 3,607 square kilometres. About South East water  South East Water is part of the Macquarie Group, an international provider of investment banking and financial services. South East Water derives 72% of its water supply from boreholes and aquifers and the other 28% from rivers and reservoirs. South East Water then delivers its water supply via 61 water treatment works, 172 service reservoirs and 9,665km water mains (source: Drinking Water Inspectorate). Water hardness  South East Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. South East Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. South West Water provides water and sewerage services to the whole of Devon and Cornwall, as well as parts of Dorset and Somerset, an area of 4,300 square miles with 1.5 million residents. South West Water also has the highest ratio of coastline to land of all the water and sewerage companies in England and Wales. About South West water  South West Water is part of Pennon Group PLC and has over 1,600 staff. South West Water derives 90% of its water from reservoirs and rivers, and the other 10% from boreholes and aquifers. This water is supplied via 50 water treatment works, 230 pumps, 327 service reservoirs and 15,000 km of water mains. South West Water collects waste water via 5,000 miles of sewers and treats it in nearly 600 waste water treatment works. South West Water provides water services to around 97% of the region but sewerage services to only 88%, as some people in rural areas use their own methods of sewage disposal such as septic tanks. Water hardness  South West Water is a soft water area. However water hardness levels can vary within each area. South West Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Southern Water provides water and sewerage service to Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. About Southern water  Southern Water supplies over two million customers with water and sewerage services. Southern Water derives 71% of its water from boreholes and aquifers and other 29% from rivers. Southern Water then supplies this water via approximately 104 water supply works, 94 service reservoirs and 13,394 km of water mains. Waste water is treated in 390 treatment works. Water hardness  Southern Water ranges from hard to very hard water. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Southern Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Sutton and East Surrey Water supplies a largely rural area of 834 square kilometres, with a population of approximately 650,000 people. The area extends from Morden and South Croydon in the north to Gatwick Airport in the south and from Cobham, Leatherhead and Dorking in the west to Edenbridge and Bough Beech in the east. About Sutton and East Surrey water  The history of Sutton and East Surrey Water can be traced back to the 1800s, when water was first supplied to homes in the area. Today, Sutton and East Surrey Water has 280 staff and supplies around 270,000 connected properties. This customer base has a split of approximately 252,000 domestic and 18,000 commercial customers. Sutton and East Surrey Water derives 85% of its water supply from groundwater and the other 15% is drawn from one reservoir at Bough Beech. Sutton and East Surrey Water then supplies the water via nine treatment works, 36 service reservoirs or towers, 60 pumping stations and 3,280km of water mains..  Water hardness  Water hardness levels can vary within each area. Sutton and East Surrey Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Tendring Hundred Water supplies water services to the Tendring peninsula in North East Essex, which has a population of 150,000 people. About Tendring Hundred water  Tendring Hundred Water was first established in 1884 to remedy the shortage of water in Harwich. The company has since grown to also supply surrounding areas and, in 1989, was bought by Veolia. Veolia Water also owns two other water supply companies in the South East of England - Three Valleys Water and Folkestone and Dover Water. Together, these companies provide 900 million litres of water a day to a population of 3.2 million. They employ around 1,050 people and have a total turnover of 186 million. Today Tendring Hundred Water provides water to 70,000 homes and businesses. On average Tendring Hundred Water supplies 25 million litres of water every day. This can rise to 50 million litres during the hottest days. Tendring Hundred Water also has the highest proportion of metered properties in the country, with 60% of properties charged by a meter. Water hardness  Tendring Hundred Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Tendring Hundred Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Thames Water supplies water and sewerage services to London and a large proportion of central Southern England. About Thames water  Thames Water is part of RWE, a leading water corporation in the UK, Germany, central Eastern Europe and the USA, providing clean water and sanitation for 70 million customers worldwide. Thames Water employs 6,800 people and provides water and sewerage services to 13 million customers in London and the Thames Valley region, and an additional one and half million billed customers across Wales. Thames Water derives 76% of its water supplies from rivers and reservoirs and the other 24% from boreholes and aquifers. Thames Water then supplies the water via 101 treatment works, 368 reservoirs and 31,300km of water mains (source: Drinking Water Inspectorate). Water hardness  Thames Water is generally a soft water area. However water hardness levels can vary within each area. Thames Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Three Valleys Water supplies water services to parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Enfield. About Three Valleys water  Three Valleys Water was formed when Colne Valley, Rickmansworth and Lee Valley Water companies merged in 1994. Three Valleys Water later merged with North Surrey Water in 2000. Three Valleys Water is owned by Veolia Water, which owns two other water supply companies in the South East of England - Folkestone and Dover Water and Tendring Hundred Water. Together, these companies provide 900 million litres of water a day to a population of 3.2 million. They employ around 1,050 people and have a total turnover of 186 million. Three Valleys Water is the largest water only supplier in the UK. It provides over 800 million litres of water every day to over three million customers. 42% of Three Valleys Water is derived from rivers and reservoirs and 58% from boreholes and aquifers. Three Valleys Water then supplies water via 83 treatment works, 137 service reservoirs and 14,277km water mains (source: Drinking Water Inspectorate). Water hardness  Three Valleys Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Three Valleys Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. United Utilities Water supplies water and sewerage services to the North West of England, a region with a population of around seven million. About United Utilities water  United Utilities PLC was formed when North West Water and Norweb merged in 1995. United Utilities is now a FTSE 100 company with 17,000 staff, which manages and operates the regulated electricity distribution, water and wastewater networks in North West England. United Utilities Water is the UK's largest operator of water systems delivering 2,000 million litres a day to 2.9 million households. United Utilities Water derives 92% of its water supply from rivers and reservoirs and the other 8% from boreholes and aquifers. United Utilities Water then supplies the water via 192 reservoirs, 453 service reservoirs and water towers, 137 water treatment works and 40,000 km of water mains. United Utilities Water also treats 2,200 million litres of wastewater every day in 600 wastewater treatment works, via 39,000 km of sewers. Water hardness  United Utilities Water supplies water in a soft to moderately hard area. However water hardness levels can vary within each area. United Utilities Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Wessex Water provides water and sewerage services to an area of 10,000 square kilometres in the South West of England, including Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, most of Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire. About Wessex water  Wessex Water treats and supplies drinking water to 1.2 million people and provides sewerage services to 2.5 million people. Wessex Water provides up to 385 million litres of water a day, deriving 80% of its supply from groundwater sources such as boreholes and the other 20% from rivers and its 12 surface reservoirs. Water is then supplied via 320 storage reservoirs, 95 treatment plants and 11,000 km of water mains. Wessex Water also treats and disposes of 480 million litres of sewage every day. This is done via 15,000 kilometres of sewers, 1,314 pumping stations and 392 sewage treatment works. Water hardness  Wessex Water supplies water in a soft to moderately hard area. However water hardness levels can vary within each area. Wessex Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area. Yorkshire Water supplies water and sewerage services to Yorkshire. About Yorkshire water  Yorkshire Water is the main UK subsidiary of the Kelda Group, which provides water and waste water services to customers in the UK and USA. Yorkshire Water provides water and sewerage services to 1.7 million households, deriving 78% of its water supply from rivers and reservoirs and the other 22% from boreholes and aquifers. Yorkshire Water then supplies the water via 116 water treatment works and 30,000km of water mains. Yorkshire Water also collects a billion litres of waste water and sewage each day, which is then treated in Yorkshire Water's 612 waste water treatment works. Water hardness  Yorkshire Water is generally a hard water area. However, water hardness levels can vary within each area. Yorkshire Water can provide you with further information about water hardness in your particular area.