Northumbrian Water is celebrating a double in the “industry Oscars”.

The company, which was shortlisted for 10 awards at the Utility Week Awards in London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, came away with both the IT Initiative of the Year Award and the Transformation and Innovation Award.

The IT trophy was awarded for implementing a new customer billing system which modernised and improved the way the company supported and served customers’ accounts.

The transformation award was in recognition of the company’s Innovation Festivals, as well as the forward-thinking nature of its employees.

Heidi Mottram, chief executive of Northumbrian Water, said: “The Utility Week Awards was a fantastic night for us.

“Introducing the new billing system was a massive undertaking, and our team did it brilliantly and seamlessly for our 4.5m customers, which is a superb achievement.

“Likewise, developing the culture of innovation that drives so many great ideas and makes them a reality that helps colleagues and customers alike, has been a really important part of our development as a business in recent years, so it is great to see that reflected with a top industry award.

“A year ago, the same ceremony saw us named Utility of the Year, which was a fantastic accolade for the business as a whole, especially as it was followed up a few months later when we were named Water Company of the Year at the Water Industry Achievement Awards.

“This event was a chance to shine a spotlight on some of the brilliant work done by individuals, teams and departments throughout the company who help us to deliver fantastic things for our customers and communities, and we are incredibly proud of the work that has led to these awards.”

Earlier this year, Northumbria Water won the UK Excellence Award at the British Quality Foundation.