Severn Trent Water, in the UK, maintained stable profits at £279.3m, up 9.4% on the equivalent half-year in 2008, despite a further decline in income from commercial customers of £9m and an increase in bad debt charges of £1.7m.
 

Tony Wray, chief executive of Severn Trent Water, said: “Not content with reducing customer complaints by more than a third in each of the last two years, we have reduced complaints by a further 30% in the past six months. And we still deliver this performance within one of the lowest average customer bills in the UK.
 

“On sewer flooding, probably the most serious problem our customers can face, we have increased and targeted preventative action, reducing the number of incidents by 24% in the half year, despite a damp summer.”
 

Wray added: “Our environmental performance also continues to improve, and now has independent recognition. We have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard this autumn, a significant milestone marking the progress we have made in reducing carbon emissions over the last three years.”
 

Severn Trent will receive Ofwat’s Final Determination of price limits for 2010-15 on 26th November.