On the eve of its sponsorship of a national seminar on competition in the UK water industry, Anglian Water has announced a new business venture in greater London.

Hartlepool Water, one of the Anglian Water group of companies and Kodak Ltd are working on a multi-million pound deal which could see Hartlepool Water - which supplies water to 40,000 homes in the north- east - playing a larger role in the provision of water services at Kodak’s main UK factory.

Hartlepool Water is supplying Kodak with raw water from a borehole on the site and is looking to eventually supply all of the site’s water requirements. This may involve the development of a water treatment plant which is able to produce the different types of high quality water Kodak needs for use within its various processes.

As Hartlepool Water also investigates opportunities for treating Kodak’s waste water, it will draw on the expertise of the Anglian Water group in the recycling of water. This will reduce the amount of water Kodak uses, making the site more water efficient.

Andrew Jessop, managing director of Hartlepool Water, believes the partnership will bring enormous benefits to both companies. “ We may be based some 200 miles away from the Kodak site, but we are very customer focused. Being small gives us the flexibility to provide real solutions and benefits to large industrial users,” he said.

Brian Goodwin, Kodak’s utilities manager said: “Hartlepool Water has helped us develop our water strategy for the site and continues to provide innovative options for our review that will help us drive down our costs.”