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Environmental Information

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) allow you to ask us for information about our activities that impact the environment.

At United Utilities, we are committed to being open and transparent about the environmental impact of our operations. Under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), you have the right to request environmental information from us. This legislation ensures access to environmental data held by public authorities and other bodies performing public functions.

In 2024, we responded to 365 requests, providing over 16 million lines of data and 200 pages of documents to individuals and organisations including customers, campaigners, journalists and non-governmental organisations or NGOs.

We have invested in capability and systems to support this level of interest, with a dedicated team handling requests and a new system to provide timely responses within a 20-day target period.

Expectations about what data we share change constantly and we are responding to this trend. For example, a map on our website shows near-real reporting of storm overflow activations and we publish overflow spill data monthly, rather than annually. A dedicated part of our website provides information on performance and our EIR disclosure log shares our responses to EIRs.  We speak regularly with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure we are clear on its expectations on the type of environmental data that should be disclosed.

  • Environmental information encompasses a broad range of topics related to the state of the environment, including:

    • Air and atmosphere
    • Water, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater
    • Soil, land use, and landscapes
    • Natural sites and biological diversity
    • Emissions, discharges, and other releases into the environment
    • Measures, policies, and activities affecting or protecting the environment
    • Reports on the implementation of environmental legislation
    • Cost-benefit and economic analyses used in environmental decision-making

  • We already have a large amount of information on our website, which may provide you with the answer to your question;

  • The easiest way to request environmental information is by completing our online form here.

    If you'd prefer, you can email your request to us at EIRrequests@uuplc.co.uk with the following information:

    • Your contact details
    • What information you would like us to provide– please provide as much detail as possible to help us to help you
    • The format you would like us to provide the information – for example letter or email

    Or you can write to us at the address below:

    United Utilities
    EIR Requests
    Environmental Information Office
    Haweswater House
    Lingley Mere Business Park
    Warrington
    WA5 3LP

  • We aim to respond to all environmental information requests promptly.

    The standard response time is within 20 working days from the date of receipt. In certain cases, where requests are complex or extensive, we may extend this period by an additional 20 working days. If an extension is necessary, we will inform you within the initial 20-day period.

  • While most requests are processed free of charge, we may apply a reasonable fee for requests that require significant resources to fulfil. If a fee is applicable, we will notify you in advance, detailing the reasons for the charge.

    Our charges are £25 per hour to locate, retrieve and collate the information. We won’t charge a fee if the information is reasonably accessible from any existing publications on our website, or for providing you to a web link to any external material.

  • If you do not feel that we have handled your request in line with the Environmental Information Request guidelines as laid out by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), you have the right to register a complaint.

    The next step is to request an internal review of the decision. The request for an Internal Review must be submitted within 40 working days of receiving your original response and set out how you believe we have not fulfilled the requirements of the EIR.

    To submit an internal review, you can email us at EIRrequests@uuplc.co.uk

    Alternatively, you can write to us at;

    United Utilities
    EIR Requests
    Environmental Information Office
    Haweswater House
    Lingley Mere Business Park
    Warrington
    WA5 3LP

    If you remain dissatisfied with how we have handled your request, you can then contact the ICO for further assistance here.

  • We are pleased to share how we are performing when it comes to responding to requests for environmental information. The Information Commissioner’s Office has set out timescales that organisations should meet to ensure timely responses. Publishing our performance reflects our commitment to openness and transparency and how we are working to manage requests in accordance with the Environmental Information Regulations.

    Metric Q4
    2024    		 Q1
    2025
    Compliance rate
    Percentage of EIR responses issued within statutory timescales    		 100% 93%
    Total requests received
    All valid requests, including all processed and unprocessed requests    		 78 82
    Total open requests
    All requests that remain open, including any subject to a permitted extension    		 14 19
    Total of open requests with permitted extensions - complex and voluminous
    All requests that remain open where it was necessary to extend the time limit    		 4 2
    Total requests closed
    All requests closed, including withdrawn requests    		 83 82
    Total requests closed within statutory timescale
    All requests closed within the statutory 20 working day deadline or those completed under permitted extensions    		 83 76
    Total requests closed with a permitted extension
    All requests closed using a permitted extension    		 13 9
    Total requests closed outside statutory timescale
    All requests closed outside the statutory deadline, including all requests closed in over 20 working days and beyond the reasonable limits of a permitted extension    		 0 6
    Total closed requests where information was granted in full
    All requests closed with all information provided    		 62 66
    Total closed requests where information was withheld in full
    All requests closed with all information withheld
    		 6 2
    Total closed requests where information was partially provided
    All requests closed with information partially provided    		 15 14
    Total internal reviews received
    All requests for an internal review    		 7 2
    Internal review rate
    Percentage of EIR responses that led to an internal review request
    		 8% 2%

     

  • You can access our EIR disclosure log here, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to transparency.

  • The chart below shows the categories of individuals or organisations requesting environmental information, and the proportion of total requests they represent i.e. 46% of requests came from members of the public, while 1 in 4 requests were made by interest groups.

    Pie chart. General public: 46%, Interest groups: 24%, Media: 9%, Researchers: 7%, Other: 6%, Politicians: 5%, Regulators: 3%

In October 2024, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), issued United Utilities with a Practice Recommendation (reference: FPR0987680 14102024), highlighting areas where our procedures for handling EIR requests require improvement. Here is our response to the ICO, detailing the steps we have taken to address their recommendations and improve our practices.