Severn Trent

History

The Severn Trent Water Authority was established in 1974. In July 1989, the Severn Trent Water Authority was partially privatised under the Water Act 1989, together with the rest of the water supply and sewage disposal industry in England and Wales, to form Severn Trent Water, with a responsibility to supply freshwater and treat sewage for around 8 million people living in the English Midlands, and also small areas of Wales and the South West.

The company has made several acquisitions over its history. It acquired Biffa in 1991, but demerged the waste management business 15 years later, and Biffa was subsequently listed separately on the London Stock Exchange. In 1993, it acquired the East Worcestershire Waterworks Company, a former statutory water company whose area was surrounded by Severn Trent's existing water supply area, and their operations were merged. In 2017, it acquired Dee Valley Water, a water-only company with an area adjoining Severn Trent's own. In 2018, the areas of the two operating companies were adjusted so that Hafren Dyfrdwy (the new name for the Dee Valley company) took on all Severn Trent Water's water supply and wastewater operations in Wales, and the small area of the former Dee Valley operation within England (an exclave at Chester) became part of Severn Trent Water.

In 2010, the company moved its headquarters from Birmingham to a custom built office complex in the centre of Coventry.

In June 2016, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities formed Water Plus in preparation for the water market deregulation, to provide the retail services for their non household customers, after being granted approval by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Severn Trent made history in 2023 when it became the first FTSE 100 group to have an all-female top team following the appointment of Helen Miles as chief financial officer, joining Garfield as chief executive and Hodgson as chair. Garfield stepped down from Severn Trent at the end of 2025 after an 11-year tenure in which she became the longest-serving female FTSE 100 chief executive. She was replaced by James Jesic.