First half revenues nudge past £110m at water supplier

South East Water, the supplier of water to more than 2.1 million customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, has revealed revenues have moved past the £110m mark during the first half.In the six months to 30 September 2016, the utilities business posted revenues of £111m, compared with £109.4m for the same period a year earlier.It said the rise was largely due to increased prices averaging 4.2 per cent for the year, the impact of metering and the numbers of new properties in the area.South East Water added this was partially offset by an averaging 5 per cent lower consumption due to the cooler and wetter than average summer.Profit before tax was in line with the same period last year at £21.8m, representing 19.6 per cent of revenue compared with 19.9 per cent for the corresponding period last year. South East Water said its purpose-built laboratory in Farnborough, which opened in October 2015, has tested more than 100,000 samples in the first six months of the year.