Vlogs, Blogs and audio files

Southern Water and the wider sector are facing some big challenges. From the impacts of climate change increasing demand on our networks, to making sure we continually improve the service we provide to customers, we’re innovating to make improvements across all areas of our business.

Our people are the key to the success of the business and, if we want them to work at their best, we need to make sure they’re happy, engaged, feeling valued and comfortable being their authentic selves.

At this time of year, you might see a creamy brown scum on seas, rivers and lakes caused by algae. It often smells of rotting eggs or vegetables and it can easily be confused with sewage. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Innovation is essential for meeting the challenges we face in the future. During this significant time of change and challenge for the whole water sector, we can reach our goals faster and more efficiently if we’re open to new ideas, new ways of working, and new practices.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact many of our customers, innovation plays a vital role in identifying opportunities to provide better support, especially for those most vulnerable.

It’s hard to imagine the UK, a nation surrounded by water and known for it’s wet weather, is water stressed. But with population growth and the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves and droughts, predicted to get worse we’re facing a water shortage by 2030.

We were the first water company to produce a dedicated policy in 2018 on reducing single-use plastic waste.

Our population is growing fast, and climate change – causing heatwaves and extreme drought – is predicted to get worse. All these things put pressure on our water supplies, and it’s predicted we’ll need around an extra 1.1 billion litres of water a day by 2040 just to keep up with demand.

To create a better environment for water, wildlife and people, we’re working to improve the spaces around our sites so that we have a positive impact on our climate, wildlife and habitats.

John Penicud, Southern Water’s Director of Wastewater Operations, explains why up to a third of all maintenance jobs on sewers are now predictable thanks to artificial intelligence.