AFTER investing �1.7m on a water saving system at its Floods Ferry site, fresh potato suppliers Greenvale AP have been awarded a UK Water Efficiency Award.

The award - organised by the Environment Agency and Waterwise - was presented by the chairman of the Environment Agency, the Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury, at the House of Lords.

Greenvale’s operations director Trevor Dear said: “We are delighted to have received a UK Water Efficiency Award in recognition of our efforts at reducing water consumption.

“Environmental issues are at the very heart of our business, and this is just one of the ways in which we are committed to reaching our target to reduce our impact on the environment. As a company, we are implementing a range of schemes, from improving energy efficiency to investigating renewable energy options.”

Greenvale’s revolutionary Cascade eco root vegetable washing system is set to reduce water wastage by 100 million litres. A similar system had already been in use at the company’s Tern Hill site in Shropshire. Overall, Greenvale is aiming to slash its water usage by 80 per cent and cut energy costs of chilling the water by 50 per cent.

This is the sixth major award the company has received for its Cascade system. Previous awards are: The Re-Fresh Innovation of the Year Award, the Food Processing Environmental Initiative Award, The E.D.I.E Award for Water and Wastewater, The Footprint Award for Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and a Golden Green Apple Award.