Yorkshire Water - once the butt of national jokes - today picked up an award for excellence in its services.

The company, which three years ago was at the centre of a drought crisis when it was forced to transport water in by fleets of tankers from other parts of the region, has been awarded a Government charter mark.

The accolade is in recognition of its high-quality customer service and information, employee courtesy and helpfulness, ability to deal with customer queries and value for money.

It comes just seven months after local MPs branded the company's directors greedy fat cats for awarding themselves 30 per cent pay bonuses during a year which saw a 30 per cent increase in water bills for consumers.

But the award criteria has been criticised by pressure group WaterWatch. Campaigns manager Peter Bowler said: "Receiving an award for good customer service is like demanding a gold star just for turning up to school.

"Apart from value for money, all the other criteria are standards set by the industry regulator which Yorkshire Water is required to meet anyway.

"The charter mark has little meaning for consumers.

"What they are looking for is a little less public relations puffery and a lot more straightforward service."

And Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe hoped the company's directors would take a leaf out of their employees' books.

He said: "This is an award for the people on the ground, and I hope the senior managers recog-nise that fact. The work done by employees in terms of raising standards of customer service has been excellent.

"Unfortunately, all that good work is damaged when the company's directors do something stupid like award themselves 30 per cent pay bonuses."

Yorkshire Water's director of customer services, Tracy Flanders, said the award was testimony to the hard work of employees, and added customers could rest assured the company will endeavour to maintain the high standards of service.

She said: "We will continue to seek customers' views and work in partnership with them to ensure Yorkshire Water becomes even more reliable, efficient and responsive in the future."

Eric Wilson, chairman of the Yorkshire Customer Service Committee of the watchdog OFWAT, said: "Great all-round progress has been made in the last few years and whilst there will always be room for further improvement the company is to be congratulated on getting this award."

'Disgust' at award to prison

The mother of a teenager who hanged himself in Doncaster Prison has lashed out at the Government for honouring the jail with an excellency award.

The prison receives a Charter Mark today at a special ceremony in Westminster.

The award comes just a week after Coroner Stanley Hooper recorded that 18 year-old Mark Hutton from Keighley, a recovering drug addict, hanged himself from the window of his cell. There have been three other deaths in the prison.

His mother Christine, 53, and father Robert, 49, of Keighley, are demanding an inquiry following evidence that Mark was not given medication at prescribed times.

Mrs Hutton said today: "I am absolutely disgusted and that's putting it mildly. It is ridiculous they can make an award like that after all those young people have died."

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