Suffolk homes' supplier Anglian Water has only received a two star performance rating out of four by a Government agency as data showed the firm was one of two responsible for more than half the serious pollution incidents nationally.

The Environment Agency assessed the nine water suppliers in England for their environmental performance in 2022, with figures showing that Anglian Water had not shown any improvement on the previous year.

READ MORE: Suffolk sink hole may have been caused by leaking pipe

The unwanted mantle of being a serial serious polluter nationally last year was shared with Thames Water, while Anglian was responsible for 33 sewage pollution incidents per 10,000km and 255 incidents in total, of which 11 were serious.

Additionally, the company, which supplies seven million customers across the east and Hartlepool, was the worst performer for self-reporting of all pollution incidents.

Only one company - Severn Trent Water - achieved the maximum four star rating, with five rated as two star in a damning set of results for the water industry.

READ MORE: Anglian Water customers face bill rise for sewer upgrades

The agency has pledged to take action over the incidents, ranging from warning letters to prosecutions.

Graham Verrier, the agency's area director for East Anglia, said: “We are disappointed that Anglian Water is a two star company for the second year in a row.

“Where there is evidence of non-compliance we will not hesitate to pursue the water company and take appropriate action – as is evidenced by the conclusion of nine prosecutions against Anglian Water in the last 14 months.” 

READ MORE: MP Therese Coffey says taxpayers 'will not pay for sewage'

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We take our responsibility to protect, restore and improve our region’s environment incredibly seriously and fully accept that our performance must improve.

“Over the last two years we’ve drastically changed how we operate to address more effectively the unique and complex challenges facing our region.

"This is detailed in our Pollution Incident Reduction Plan published today.

"We know that we must do better on some critical measures of environmental performance and we remain resolutely focused on continuing with this strategy at pace.”

READ MORE: Suffolk news