ENERGY supplier and Worcester employer npower is one of the UK's top 20 most responsible companies, according to a report in the Business in the Community's Corporate Resp-onsibility Index.

With a score of 93 per cent, npower was placed 14th out of the 144 top UK companies taking part.

To achieve such a high score, the company had to demonstrate a commitment to carrying out its day-to-day business with a sense of responsibility for the environment, customers, empl-oyees and for the communities in which employees work.

"We're delighted that npower has improved considerably on the 2003 Corporate Responsibility Index - the result of hard work and dedication from npower employees," said Anita Longley, who is the head of corporate responsibility at the firm.

More than 1,000 staff work at npower sites across the Midlands, including Worcester and Oldbury, in addition to the 11,500 employees across England and Wales.