GREAT Sankey-based water company has been rated four-stars after it performed well ‘across most areas’ in an independent report.

United Utilities, which supplies water to homes across the north west, has been rated as a four-star company by the Environment Agency.

The rating comes as part of the Environment Agency’s annual report on the environmental performance of the nine water and sewage companies in England in 2023.

The Environment Protection Assessment (EPA) is the only independent comparison of environmental performance across the sector, and since 2011 it has rated each company in England from one to four stars.

The report, which was published on Tuesday, comes after Extinction Rebellion staged a poo-themed protest outside United Utilities headquarters in Lingley Mere Business Park last week.

The EPA showed that the Lingley Mere-based company was rated as a four-star company, an improvement from its rating of three the year prior.

It also found that, compared to the industry average of five, the firm only caused one significant pollution incident in 2023.

However, the total number of pollution incidents caused by United Utilities rose by more than 70 per cent with a total of 216, compared to the 126 in 2022.

It did manage to self-report 94 per cent of those incidents, though, which is more than the industry average of 84 per cent, and its normalised rating of 28 total incidents per 10,000km of sewer is still less than the industry average of 36.

“It is encouraging to see Untied Utilities receive a four-star rating, which shows it is possible for water companies to meet the required expectations,” said Andy Brown, area environment manager for the Environment Agency.

“While they performed well across most areas assessed, there is absolutely no room for complacency and there are still some areas that need improvements.

“We are looking for United Utilities to maintain and consistently improve their performance and operations in the coming years.

“We also want to see no serious pollution incidents in the future and tougher fines.

“That is why we will continue our rigorous enforcement activity across the north west, ensuring that when companies do commit environmental offences, they are rightly held to account.”

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have again attained a top four-star rating, demonstrating our track record in protecting the environment.

"We are nevertheless not complacent, and we remain fully focused on delivering performance improvements to protect and enhance the environment for the benefit of all our stakeholders.”