A WATER company yesterday received national recognition for its corporate responsibility.

Northumbrian Water, which is based in Pity Me, near Durham City, is one of only seven companies in the UK to achieve Platinum Plus status in the Business in the Community’s latest Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index.

The water company, which achieved platinum status last year, is one of 141 businesses which participated in the CR Index’s process of examining companies’ business strategy and environmental, economic, social and sector impacts.

Northumbrian Water, BT, Co-operative Financial Services, EDF Energy, National Grid, Scottish and Southern Energy and United Utilities are the first companies to be bestowed with Platinum Plus status, and one will be named Company of the Year next month at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London.

Northumbrian Water’s managing director, John Cuthbert, said: “The announcement again demonstrates that corporate responsibility is an integral part of our daily business and is key in our longer term business strategy.

“I am immensely proud of our achievement and of every single employee.”

This latest success follows Northumbrian Water being crowned with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and being named Utility Company of the Year last year.