Severn Trent water look to play down fears

WATER company Severn Trent, which has nearly four million household and business customers in the UK, yesterday said it was hopeful of avoiding curbs on usage this year.

The firm has faced record low rainfall over the winter but said in a trading update that it was “not currently predicting any usage restrictions”.

Severn, which serves the Midlands and parts of Wales, added: “This situation remains under constant review, however, and the company is taking steps to improve supply resilience this year.”

The group, which also owns a US-based water and waste water treatment technology and services business, said overall trading remained in line with City expectations for the year to 31 March. Last year, profits decreased by 14.7 per cent to £288.6 million.