Warrington-based water giant United Utilities said it has submitted its business plan covering the 2025-30 period, involving £13.7 billion of expenditure and support for 30,000 jobs — 7,000 of which are new roles.

United Utilities CEO Louise Beardmore said: “We’ve been listening to customers and communities right across our region to understand what really matters.

“What’s clear is that we need to improve services for customers and the environment.

“That’s why we are proposing the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in over 100 years, with £13.7 billion planned between 2025 and 2030 to build a stronger, greener and healthier North West for everyone.

“It’s a hugely ambitious plan, and we’ve engaged with 95,000 people across our five great counties of Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, to make sure we get it right, shaping our plans for each county to address the things that they’ve told us matter most.

“Our plan will secure water supplies for the future, halving the need for hosepipe bans, reduce storm overflow spills into our rivers and seas and upgrade our water network to cut leakage and service interruptions for customers.

“This historic investment will deliver a significant boost to the economy of the North West, supporting 30,000 jobs, of which 7,000 are new roles.

“We will also double our support for those struggling to pay their bills, with more than half a billion pounds of extra help – enabling us to support more than one in six households.

“Today’s announcement is the first step in a long process but our robust balance sheet, low gearing and solid credit ratings mean we are in a very strong position to deliver our plan – and we are already underway after bringing forward £1.2 billion of investment earlier this year.

“We are now ready to move forward and deliver the step change we all want to see.”