Water Plus Limited. 50/50 joint venture between Severn Trent and United Utilities, held via Water Plus Group Limited.
England & Scotland
At a glance
Water Plus is the UK's largest business water retailer, a 50/50 Severn Trent and United Utilities joint venture based in Stoke-on-Trent, supplying water, wastewater and trade effluent retail services to over 360,000 customer accounts across England and Scotland.
Last reviewed 10 June 2026. Facts are drawn from Water Plus's own published pages, Companies House and the MOSL dashboard snapshot (March 2026). Verify anything you intend to rely on against the current source.
Water Plus: key facts
Parent and ownership
50/50 joint venture between Severn Trent and United Utilities, held via Water Plus Group Limited
Founded
2016 (Water Plus Group Limited incorporated 18 February 2016 per Companies House; the Severn Trent and United Utilities retail joint venture received CMA clearance on 4 May 2016. The licensed retail subsidiary Water Plus Limited dates from 15 January 2001 and traded as United Utilities Water Sales Ltd until renamed on 21 December 2016.)
Headquarters
Stoke-on-Trent (Prospect House, Gordon Banks Drive, Trentham Lakes, ST4 4TW)
England and Scotland. Active in England's non-household retail market (fully open since April 2017) and licensed in Scotland via a WICS general water and sewerage licence held by Water Plus Limited, granted 9 October 2012 under the company's former name United Utilities Water Sales Limited. The company's site describes over 360,000 customer accounts across England and Scotland. It does not market a Wales offer, though its complaints page signposts CCW's Wales contact line for eligible cases.
Services Water Plus publishes
Taken from the retailer's own published service pages.
Water audits and benchmarking
Smart metering and data loggers
Leak detection and leak repair
Water saving equipment advice and personalised efficiency consultations
Water recycling
Contingency planning to keep sites running through supply issues
New water connections from the main to site
Trade effluent services
Online account management for payments, meter read submission and bills via My Account
Moving premises support, moving in and moving out
Burst or leak allowance and meter installation request forms
Water Plus deemed and out-of-contract rates
When a site takes supply without a negotiated contract, for example after moving in or letting an agreement lapse, the retailer bills on its published deemed or out-of-contract terms, which differ by wholesale region and are updated each charging year. We never republish the figures: they change annually, so the only reliable source is the current document.
Water Plus publishes its deemed and out-of-contract terms in its own charges documents, linked below. Check the document for your wholesaler region and charging year before comparing it against a negotiated offer.
Water Plus is the UK's largest business water retailer, formed as a 50/50 joint venture between Severn Trent and United Utilities and cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority on 4 May 2016. The group holding company, Water Plus Group Limited (Companies House 10012579), was incorporated on 18 February 2016, while the licensed retail entity, Water Plus Limited (04141390), dates back to 2001 and traded as United Utilities Water Sales Ltd before taking the Water Plus name in December 2016. The business is headquartered at Prospect House, Gordon Banks Drive, Trentham Lakes, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 4TW.
The company reports over 360,000 customer accounts across England and Scotland, and Severn Trent's FY2025 results independently describe it as the largest business retailer in the non-household retail water market in England and Scotland. In Scotland it operates under a general water and sewerage licence from the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, granted in October 2012 to the predecessor entity. Alongside retail supply of water, wastewater and trade effluent services, Water Plus offers water audits and benchmarking, smart metering and data loggers, leak detection and repair, water saving advice, contingency planning and new connections, and it publishes its deemed contract terms and regional schemes of charges on its documents and guides page.
Service performance has been mixed. CCW's complaints reporting identified Water Plus as the industry's worst performer on written complaints per 10,000 supply points in 2021-22, but its 2024-25 report records sustained improvement, with the retailer moving out of the poorer performing quartile while still recording the most ADR referrals (16) of any retailer that year. Financially, Severn Trent's results show Water Plus incurred a loss after tax of £21.6 million in the year to 31 March 2025, mainly due to increased bad debt charges. Jason Scagell has led the company as chief executive following his appointment as a director in September 2024.
Strengths
Largest business water retailer in the England and Scotland non-household market: described as such in Severn Trent's audited FY2025 results, with over 360,000 customer accounts reported on the Water Plus website.
Backed by two FTSE-listed water companies: the Companies House PSC register lists United Utilities PLC and Severn Trent Services International (Overseas Holdings) Limited as joint owners.
One retailer for both England and Scotland: present in England's open market and holding a WICS general water and sewerage licence in Scotland since 9 October 2012 (granted to the predecessor entity), useful for cross-border estates.
Publishes its deemed contract terms and regional schemes of charges (Severn Trent area, United Utilities area, all other areas, plus a Scotland default tariff) openly on its documents and guides page.
Improving complaints trend: CCW's Business Customer Complaints 2024-25 report says Water Plus 'has shown improvement and is trending in the right direction' and has moved out of the poorer performing quartile.
Considerations
Complaints history: CCW's 2024-25 report states Water Plus's complaints performance 'has been a concern for several years', and in 2021-22 it had the highest written complaint rate per 10,000 supply points in the market, almost 50% above the next worst retailer (The Water Report, July 2022).
Most ADR referrals of any retailer in CCW's 2024-25 business complaints report (16 referrals, versus zero for several competitors).
Recently loss-making: loss after tax of £21.6 million in the year to 31 March 2025, mainly due to increased bad debt charges, per Severn Trent's FY2025 results.
Not an independent retailer: owned 50/50 by two incumbent wholesalers (Severn Trent and United Utilities), a structural point some buyers weigh against independents.
Frequently asked
Water Plus: questions answered
Who owns Water Plus?
Water Plus is a 50/50 joint venture between Severn Trent and United Utilities, two FTSE-listed UK water companies. The Competition and Markets Authority cleared the merger of the two groups' business retail arms on 4 May 2016. The Companies House persons-with-significant-control register for Water Plus Group Limited lists United Utilities PLC and Severn Trent Services International (Overseas Holdings) Limited, each holding more than 25% but not more than 50% of shares and voting rights, and both entries remain active.
What are Water Plus deemed or out-of-contract water rates?
Water Plus applies deemed or out-of-contract rates when a business takes supply without a negotiated contract, for example after moving into premises or when an agreement lapses. It publishes its deemed contract terms and conditions and a scheme of charges for each wholesale region (Severn Trent, United Utilities and all other areas, plus a default tariff for Scotland) on its documents and guides page, which we link to from this page. Charges differ by region and are updated each April, so check the current documents for your site before comparing them against a negotiated contract.
Can Water Plus supply my region?
Water Plus supplies business customers across England and Scotland, reporting over 360,000 customer accounts across both nations on its website. In England it operates in the non-household retail market that opened fully in April 2017. In Scotland, Water Plus Limited holds a general water and sewerage licence from the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, originally granted on 9 October 2012 when the company was named United Utilities Water Sales Limited. Its website does not market supply to households or to businesses in Wales.
How do I contact Water Plus?
Call Water Plus on 0345 072 6072, from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays; the company describes phone as the quickest way to get help. Online, customers can use the My Account portal at myaccount.water-plus.co.uk to make payments, submit meter reads and view bills. The registered office is Water Plus, Prospect House, Gordon Banks Drive, Trentham Lakes, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4TW. A complaints process with a dedicated case handler is set out on its complaints page.
Is Water Plus suited to multi-site businesses?
Yes, Water Plus serves large and multi-site organisations as well as small businesses. Its quote journey has a dedicated route for large and high water use businesses, covering complex industrial sites, manufacturing water use and trade effluent. Published case studies on its website include multi-site organisations such as J D Wetherspoon, Choice Hotels, NHS foundation trusts and Nottingham Trent University. Severn Trent's FY2025 results describe Water Plus as the largest business retailer in the non-household retail water market in England and Scotland.
What happens if Water Plus exits the market?
Your water supply would continue. Statutory interim supply arrangements protect customers if a retailer leaves the market: Water Plus's own deemed contract terms are made under the Water Industry Act 1991 interim supply provisions and the Interim Supply Code published by Ofwat, the framework under which customers of an exiting retailer are allocated to another licensed retailer on deemed terms. Affected customers can then stay with the allocated retailer or switch to any other retailer, because deemed contracts have no end date and can be ended at any time by agreeing a new contract.
Who runs Water Plus?
Jason Scagell is the chief executive of Water Plus. Companies House records show Jason Andrew Scagell was appointed a director of Water Plus Group Limited on 26 September 2024, and trade publication The Water Report covered his appointment as chief executive in December 2024, citing ten years of utilities, retail and renewables experience in director and managing director roles. He followed Andy Hughes, who had led the retailer from 2018, with interim leadership in between according to the same report.
Is Water Plus the largest business water retailer in the UK?
Yes, on the available evidence. Water Plus calls itself the UK's largest water retailer and reports over 360,000 business customer accounts across England and Scotland on its website. Independently, Severn Trent's preliminary results for the year to 31 March 2025 describe Water Plus Group Limited as the largest business retailer in the non-household retail water market in England and Scotland. At the joint venture's formation in 2016, United Utilities estimated a combined market share of around 25 per cent across England and Scotland.
How we work with Water Plus
We are an independent broker, not the retailer. When you tender through us, Water Plus is quoted against the whole licensed Open Water retailer panel, with the wholesale charge, retailer margin and our margin shown separately on every offer. No retailer pays for placement on this page and this profile is not a ranking. Our guide to how to compare business water suppliers covers the criteria we score offers on, and our step-by-step guide to switching business water supplier walks through the CMOS process, with no interruption to supply.
Quote Water Plus alongside the whole retailer panel
Send us a recent bill per site. We tender the licensed Open Water retailer panel and come back with the best fit, with the wholesale charge, retailer margin and our margin shown separately on every quote. Or call us on 0161 521 3400.
