Our performance

As a regulated industry, we are set challenging targets by our regulators. We've just enjoyed our best-ever year of performance against these objectives, and are intent on further improvements.

We have boosted performance in 2007-08 in the following areas:

Leakage

We have reduced leakage for the fourth year in a row and, subject to final auditing of figures, are confident we have beaten our leakage target for the second year running.

Tap water

We carry out over 500,000 tests on our supplies ever year, and in 2007-08 recorded our best-ever performance. Results showed that 99.98 per cent of samples taken from customers' taps met UK and European standards covering the safety, appearance and taste of drinking water.

Water pressure

The number of customers experiencing low pressure fell to an all-time low, and was five times better than our target level.

Customer service

We achieved our best-ever results on response rates to billing enquiries and written complaints.

Sewage treatment works

At the end of 2007 we boosted the number of works that met Environment Agency guidelines governing the quality of treated water discharged to local watercourses, ensuring that all of our 349 works met these requirements.

Overall performance

We have achieved our highest score in Ofwat's Overall Performance Assessment, a benchmark which allows comparisons between water companies on a range of measures.

In addition to the above improvements, we have replaced more than 600 miles of our oldest and leakiest water mains in London, saving enough water to supply around 600,000 people every day. We are working in about 450 streets, and aim to renew a total of 1,000 miles of pipework by 2010.

We have also increased our capacity to create renewable energy at our sewage treatment works, so that over 14 per cent of the electricity we use is now self-generated.