Water firm splashes out £3.5bn

The company has revealed it plans to spend more than 3.5bn on

improving beaches and drinking water, as well as protecting their sewage treatment works and has invested in new offices at Livingstone House in Clarence Dock, Leeds.

A new report by the University of Leeds has calculated that for every 1 Yorkshire Water spends, a further 90p of wealth is generated in the local economy. A spokesman said that means the company's 1.9bn investment in infrastructure and 1.5bn in operating expenditure will create more than 6bn for the economy over the next five years.

Chief operating officer at Yorkshire Water Richard Flint said: "As a company, we don't just pump water into our region. We also pump

millions of pounds into the local economy.

"Over the next five years we'll be spending 3.5bn to improve our water and sewage network and the region's beaches, bathing waters and rivers –that's 2m every day pumping into the Yorkshire economy.

"As a major local employer in Yorkshire, this investment will have a hugely positive effect on the region's economic growth, with the benefits of this expected to be felt in the pockets of people right across Yorkshire.

"What's more, most of the knock-on spending from our suppliers and colleagues is expected to be retained within the region, which is great news for the local economy at a time when it's most needed."

Mr Flint was speaking yesterday at the official opening of the Clarence Dock offices.

The building, opened by Normanton MP and Schools Secretary Ed Balls, will house a 500 strong asset delivery unit responsible for the implementation of infrastructure improvement projects over the next

five years. Work on the ground is due to begin from next month.

Mr Balls said: "Yorkshire Water's 3.5bn programme of spending over the next five years is hugely welcome news.

"This investment will not only benefit thousands of businesses and individuals right across Yorkshire, but it will also serve to underpin the economic wellbeing of our region for many years to come."

Some of the investment planned includes 110m to help improve bathing water quality along Yorkshire's East coast, 100m to reduce the number of sewer flooding incidents and protect the company's sewage treatment works from extreme weather and 92m to improve the quality of drinking water.

A company report says the supply chain effect of the investment benefits the entire region as Yorkshire Water uses 1,000 suppliers, spending 329m with them, and employs nearly 3,000 people.

Five million customers using billions of litres of water

Yorkshire Water has more than 5 million customers. It supplies about 1.3bn litres of drinking water every day.

The company collects, treats and returns 1bn litres of waste water daily and employs more than 2,800 people. It sources products and services from over 1,000 businesses. Its investment programme includes:

n 12m to improve drinking water quality at Rivelin Water Treatment Works in Sheffield.

n 70m to upgrade water treatment works at Blackburn Meadows in Sheffield.

n 8m to replace 40,000 lead pipes in Leeds to improve drinking water quality.

n 7m to link the East Coast to the Yorkshire Grid, enabling the

transport of drinking water around the region.

n 110m to help improve bathing water quality along Yorkshire's East Coast.

n 18m to upgrade Acomb Landing Water Treatment Works in York.

n 30m investment to improve two Hull pumping stations.