United Utilities' water profits announced after Windermere spill

The water firm at the centre of a pollution row at England’s largest lake has announced a jump in profits for its last financial year.

Earlier this week, United Utilities was engulfed in a scandal over news of a massive sewage spill at Windermere in the Lake District in February.

The company has now reported a 17.5% rise in underlying operating profits to £517.8m in the year to 31 March.

It claimed it has “a sector-leading track record on minimising pollution for over a decade”.

But on Wednesday, a fresh row broke out over the state of England’s waters after reports that millions of litres of raw sewage had been pumped into Windermere.