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The ten regional water authorities of England and Wales were sold in one flotation in December 1989, raising £3,594m for the government.
Round the map, 3-2-3-2: the north (Northumbrian, North West, Yorkshire), Wales and the Midlands (Welsh, Severn Trent), the east and south-east (Anglian, Thames, Southern), the south-west (Wessex, South West).
Three authorities serving northern England: the north-east, the north-west and Yorkshire.
The Welsh authority, answerable to the Secretary of State for Wales, and the authority named after the Severn and Trent, the Midlands' two main rivers.
Three authorities across eastern England, the Thames basin around London, and the south coast.
Two authorities in south-west England: Wessex and the far south-west peninsula.
Can you name them all?
Test yourselfThe ten regional water authorities of England and Wales were sold in one flotation in December 1989, raising £3,594m for the government.
Northumbrian Water, North West Water, Yorkshire Water, Welsh Water, Severn Trent, Anglian Water, Thames Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water and South West Water.
Round the map, 3-2-3-2: the north (Northumbrian, North West, Yorkshire), Wales and the Midlands (Welsh, Severn Trent), the east and south-east (Anglian, Thames, Southern), the south-west (Wessex, South West).
Each name checked against at least two sources, one of them The Water Authorities (Successor Companies) Order 1989 (SI 1989/1465), on 3 October 2026. Next review by 28 September 2028.
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