Cambridge Water Company
A water-supply brand serving Cambridge and nearby communities in England, operated as a trading name of South Staffordshire Water plc.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cambridge Water Company is a water-supply utility serving Cambridge and the surrounding area in England. It supplies treated drinking water but does not provide wastewater services; wastewater services for its customers are provided by Anglian Water. The Cambridge Water name is now used as a trading identity of South Staffordshire Water plc rather than as the name of a separately trading operating company. The business traces its institutional origins to the Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Company, established under the Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Act 1853. Its creation reflected the need for a more organized public water infrastructure for Cambridge, a city whose population, institutions, and industrial activity were expanding during the nineteenth century. The enterprise remained privately owned for much of its history. Its legal and regulatory position changed in 1996, when the Cambridge Water Company (Constitution and Regulation) Order 1996 enabled the company to become a public limited company. Ownership subsequently changed several times. Cambridge Water plc was acquired by CK Infrastructure Holdings in 2004. In 2011, it was sold to HSBC. The disposal was connected with CK Infrastructure Holdings' proposed acquisition of Northumbrian Water: retaining Cambridge Water would have created competition concerns and could have led to the Northumbrian transaction being referred to the Competition Commission. On 1 April 2013, all assets and liabilities were transferred to South Staffordshire Water. Cambridge Water plc then ceased to trade as a separate company, although the Cambridge Water name continued to be used for services in the former Cambridge Water area. The brand's principal offering is regulated potable-water supply to domestic and non-domestic customers. Its operating area is distinct from the wastewater network, which is handled by Anglian Water. This separation is important to understanding the company's market position: Cambridge Water is a regional water supplier, not a vertically integrated water-and-sewerage provider. The company has also faced regulatory and public-health scrutiny. In 2022, Cambridge Water acknowledged that it had not informed more than one thousand customers that their water had contained perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS, at approximately four times the permitted level. The affected supplies served parts of Stapleford and Great Shelford and were associated with an aquifer near Duxford Airfield. The company said it had blended water from that source with supplies from other sources to reduce pollutant concentrations, but it did not state how long customers had been receiving water from the affected supply. The incident raised concerns about contamination monitoring, disclosure, and customer communication. Reference material also records a temporary hosepipe ban planned for July 2026, described as the first such restriction in thirty years for the Cambridge Water region. The restriction was attributed to an exceptionally dry spring and unusually warm conditions. Because this event is dated in the future relative to much of the historical record, its final implementation and outcome should be verified against an authoritative company or regulator announcement. Overall, Cambridge Water is best understood today as a regional consumer-facing water brand operating within South Staffordshire Water's corporate structure, with a long institutional history but no longer a separately trading utility company.
History
Cambridge Water's history begins with the Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Company, established through the Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Act 1853. The legislation created the institutional basis for a dedicated waterworks serving Cambridge and its surrounding communities. The undertaking developed during a period of urban growth and increasing demand for more reliable and organized water infrastructure. For most of its earlier existence, the company was privately owned. Its corporate status changed under the Cambridge Water Company (Constitution and Regulation) Order 1996, which enabled the company to become a public limited company. The resulting Cambridge Water plc operated as a regional water utility supplying potable water in the Cambridge area. In 2004, Cambridge Water plc was sold to CK Infrastructure Holdings. CK Infrastructure Holdings later sought to acquire Northumbrian Water, but retaining Cambridge Water would have created competition concerns in the context of that proposed transaction. Cambridge Water was therefore sold to HSBC in 2011. The ownership history illustrates the way regional water companies became involved in wider infrastructure-ownership and competition-regulation issues, even when their day-to-day activity remained geographically focused. The next major structural change occurred on 1 April 2013, when Cambridge Water plc transferred all of its assets and liabilities to South Staffordshire Water. Cambridge Water plc subsequently ceased to trade as a separate company. The Cambridge Water name nevertheless remained in use as a trading name for South Staffordshire Water's operations in the former Cambridge Water region. The brand therefore has continuity at the customer and service-area level despite the disappearance of the standalone company. Cambridge Water supplies water only. It does not operate the wastewater service for its customers; Anglian Water provides wastewater services in the relevant area. This division means that the Cambridge Water identity represents the potable-water side of the local utility relationship rather than a complete water-and-sewerage business. The company has experienced public scrutiny over water quality and communications. In 2022, it acknowledged that it had failed to tell more than one thousand customers that their water had contained PFOS at around four times the permitted amount. The affected supplies were associated with an aquifer near Duxford Airfield and reached customers in Stapleford and Great Shelford. Cambridge Water said that it had blended water from the aquifer with water from other sources to lower the concentration, but did not disclose how long the affected customers had received water from that source. The episode became a significant issue for the brand because it involved both contamination control and the timely communication of risk to customers. The supplied reference material also describes a temporary hosepipe ban planned for July 2026, reportedly the first in the Cambridge Water region for three decades. It attributes the restriction to dry spring conditions and unusually warm weather. The implementation and final outcome of this future-dated event require verification from current company or regulatory records. Cambridge Water's present identity is consequently that of a locally recognized, regionally regulated water-supply brand operating within South Staffordshire Water, with its historical corporate lineage extending back to the 1853 waterworks legislation.
- 2022
PFOS communication failure disclosed
[1]Cambridge Water acknowledged that it had not informed more than one thousand customers about supplies containing PFOS at approximately four times the permitted amount.
- 2013
Transfer to South Staffordshire Water
[1]The company's assets and liabilities were transferred to South Staffordshire Water on 1 April, after which Cambridge Water plc ceased to trade separately.
- 2011
Sale to HSBC
[1]Cambridge Water was sold by CK Infrastructure Holdings to HSBC in connection with competition considerations surrounding CKI's proposed Northumbrian Water acquisition.
- 2004
Acquisition by CK Infrastructure Holdings
[1]Cambridge Water plc was sold to CK Infrastructure Holdings.
- 1996
Company becomes a public limited company
[1]The Cambridge Water Company (Constitution and Regulation) Order 1996 changed the company's corporate and regulatory status, allowing it to become a public limited company.
- 1853
Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Company established
[1]The Cambridge University and Town Waterworks Act 1853 established the legal basis for the waterworks undertaking that became associated with Cambridge Water.
Products and positioning
A regional regulated drinking-water supplier focused on Cambridge and nearby communities, operating under the South Staffordshire Water corporate structure. It is differentiated by its local Cambridge identity and by supplying water only, while wastewater services are provided by Anglian Water.
Drinking-water utility service · 1853
Cambridge Water potable-water supply
The core service is the abstraction, treatment, distribution, and regulated supply of drinking water to customers in Cambridge and surrounding communities. The Cambridge Water name continues to identify the local supply operation even though the former Cambridge Water plc no longer trades as a standalone company and its assets and liabilities were transferred to South Staffordshire Water.
Non-household utility service
Business water supply
Cambridge Water's regional utility activity includes water supply for non-household customers in its service area. The available reference material does not provide a separate product-brand architecture or detailed commercial-service catalogue, so this is treated as part of the core regulated supply business rather than as a distinct consumer product.
Controversies
2022
PFOS contamination disclosure failure
Cambridge Water admitted that it failed to notify more than one thousand customers that their water had contained PFOS at approximately four times the permitted level. The affected supplies served parts of Stapleford and Great Shelford and were associated with an aquifer near Duxford Airfield. The company said it had diluted the source with water from elsewhere but did not state how long customers had received the affected supply.
Brand decisions
2026
Temporary hosepipe restriction plannedOtherBackground
Reference material attributes the proposed restriction to one of the driest springs in recent years and exceptionally warm weather.
Action taken
A temporary hosepipe ban was reported as beginning on 9 July 2026, with enforcement scheduled for 17 July 2026.
Aftermath
The eventual implementation, duration, and outcome are not established by the supplied material and should be checked against authoritative current records.
2013
Integration into South Staffordshire WaterStrategyBackground
Cambridge Water plc was restructured within a wider regional water-company ownership arrangement.
Action taken
All assets and liabilities were transferred to South Staffordshire Water on 1 April 2013, and the former company ceased to trade separately.
Aftermath
The Cambridge Water name continued as a trading identity in the former Cambridge Water area.
2011
Sale to HSBCM&ABackground
CK Infrastructure Holdings wanted to acquire Northumbrian Water, and retaining Cambridge Water could have caused the proposed transaction to be referred to the Competition Commission.
Action taken
Cambridge Water was sold to HSBC.
Aftermath
The business remained a separate water utility until its assets and liabilities were transferred to South Staffordshire Water in 2013.
2004
Acquisition by CK Infrastructure HoldingsM&ABackground
Cambridge Water plc was transferred into the ownership of CK Infrastructure Holdings.
Action taken
CK Infrastructure Holdings acquired Cambridge Water plc.
Aftermath
The company was later sold to HSBC in 2011 as CKI pursued the acquisition of Northumbrian Water.
Sources2 sources
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