Water group United Utilities said customer complaints were down by one-fifth in the first half of this year, which it put down to a stronger focus on operational performance.
The utility company declared an underlying profit before tax of £184.9m in the six months to September 30th, down from £195.4m at the interim stage of last year. The statutory profit before tax figure showed an increase on last year, however, moving up to £124.4m from £122.2m.
The dip in the underlying profit figure reflected a slightly lower underlying operating profit and a small increase in the underlying net finance expense, mainly relating to indexation of the principal in respect of the group's index-linked debt.
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Underlying earnings per share (EPS) dipped to 19.9p from 20.4p the year before. Basic EPS climbed to 20.7p from 19.5p last year.
Revenue rose to £792.7m from £762.4m last year, principally as a result of the impact of the regulated price increase for 2011/12 of 4.5% nominal or a 0.2% real price decrease plus 4.7% retail prices index )RPI) inflation.
The all-important dividend has been lifted to 10.67p at the interim stage from last year's interim dividend of 10.00p.
"In line with our dividend policy of targeting growth of two per cent above RPI inflation, we have increased the interim dividend by 6.7 per cent to 10.67 pence per share," said Steve Mogford, chief executive officer of United Utilities.
The company said it is on course for capital expenditure of up to £700m in the full year and it is on track to meet regulatory out-performance targets.
"The company is focused on delivering further operational and customer service improvements and is making good progress. The action plans being implemented are delivering efficiencies and UU remains on track to meet its regulatory out-performance targets, with substantial financing out-performance already secured," Mogford claimed.
"The group expects to deliver a good underlying financial performance over the remainder of 2011/12," he added.
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