United Utilities: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
United Utilities Water Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is United Utilities North West Limited. In the year to March 2026 United Utilities Water Limited reported turnover of £2,616m.
- In the year to March 2026, United Utilities had turnover of £2,616m, up 22.3% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £768m, keeping £29.37 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 6,678 people, with staff costs of £252m.
- United Utilities Water Limited is controlled by United Utilities North West Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from United Utilities Water Limited's group accounts for the year to March 2026, filed at Companies House on 25 July 2026.
- Registered name
- UNITED UTILITIES WATER LIMITED
- Company number
- 02366678
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 1 April 1989
- Registered office area
- Manchester
- Industry code on the register
- 36000: Water collection, treatment and supply
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to March 2026, filed 25 July 2026
What does United Utilities do?
United Utilities Water is the water and wastewater company for North West England, supplying drinking water and collecting and treating sewage across a region that includes Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria. It makes money from customer water and sewerage bills, set within price limits regulated by Ofwat. Customers cannot choose another household supplier. It is owned by United Utilities Group PLC, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
In brief: water and wastewater · North West England · regulated bills · owned by listed United Utilities Group
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: unitedutilities.com.
Who owns United Utilities?
The Companies House register records United Utilities North West Limited as the person with significant control of United Utilities Water Limited, company number 02366678. United Utilities North West Limited is itself company number 04146378.
That places United Utilities Water Limited inside a larger group. Its accounts are group accounts, covering the companies it owns as well.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs United Utilities?
The Companies House register lists 11 current officers for United Utilities Water Limited.
All 11 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Simon Roger Gardiner | 31 March 2011 |
| Sir David Hartmann Higgins | 13 May 2019 |
| Philip Anthony Aspin | 24 July 2020 |
| Douglas Russell Webb | 1 September 2020 |
| Kathleen Mary Shailer | 1 September 2020 |
| Liam David Butterworth | 1 January 2022 |
| Louise Beardmore | 1 May 2022 |
| Michael David Lewis | 1 May 2023 |
| Clare Elizabeth Hayward | 16 April 2024 |
| Ian Ramsey Safwat El-Mokadem | 1 June 2025 |
| Marina May Wyatt | 1 October 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did United Utilities file?
United Utilities Water Limited reported turnover of £2,616m in the year to March 2026. That was up 22.3% on £2,139m the year before.
It reported 6,678 employees. The year before it reported 6,060.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £768m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £332m the year before.
Staff costs came to £252m. That is an average of £38,000 a head. It ended the year with £1,556m at the bank and net assets of £1,761m. It paid dividends of £245m.
| Measure | Mar 2026 | Mar 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £2,616m | £2,139m |
| Pre-tax profit | £768m (filed) | £332m (filed) |
| Employees | 6,678 | 6,060 |
| Staff costs | £252m | £219m |
| Average staff cost per head | £38,000 | £36,000 |
| Bank and cash | £1,556m | £1,486m |
| Net assets | £1,761m | £1,415m |
| Dividends paid | £245m | £197m |
| Interest paid | £425m | |
| Interest received | £81m | |
| Directors' pay | £1.0m |
Read the accounts to March 2026 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
How United Utilities compares
Of the 10 water companies, United Utilities is 2nd on turnover, 1st on profit margin and 6th on growth.
| Rank | Water companies | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thames Water | £3,757m | £6.03 |
| 2nd | United Utilities | £2,616m | £29.37 |
| + 8 more water companies ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
United Utilities files as United Utilities Water Limited, whose person with significant control is United Utilities North West Limited, with turnover of £2,616m in its latest filed year.
Questions about United Utilities
What does United Utilities do?
United Utilities Water is the water and wastewater company for North West England, supplying drinking water and collecting and treating sewage across a region that includes Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria. It makes money from customer water and sewerage bills, set within price limits regulated by Ofwat. Customers cannot choose another household supplier. It is owned by United Utilities Group PLC, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
How does United Utilities compare with its rivals?
By turnover, United Utilities is 2nd of the 10 companies in our battle of the water companies, behind Thames Water. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the water companies →
Who owns United Utilities?
The Companies House register records United Utilities North West Limited as the person with significant control of United Utilities Water Limited.
How much does United Utilities make?
United Utilities Water Limited reported turnover of £2,616m in the year to March 2026. It filed a pre-tax profit of £768m.
How many people work at United Utilities?
United Utilities Water Limited reported 6,678 employees in the year to March 2026.
Who runs United Utilities?
The Companies House register lists 11 current officers for United Utilities Water Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from United Utilities Water Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 02366678, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “United Utilities: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/united-utilities/. Figures from Companies House filings for UNITED UTILITIES WATER LIMITED (02366678).
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