Complaints about water companies in England have reached their highest level in five years as concerns over household bills increased during the pandemic, according to the Consumer Council for Water.
Written complaints rose by 11 per cent to 93,758 in 2020/21 compared with 84,649 in the previous year, with two-thirds relating to disputes over bills, which average about £408 a year, the industry watchdog said.
Bill disputes included disagreements over the amount of water used, accuracy of estimated charges and the way some suppliers handled debt recovery.
There was also a rise in wastewater complaints, including sewage flooding, which increased by more than a quarter in 2020/21 after heavy rains left parts of central London awash with water on several occasions.
Thames Water, which is responsible for about one-fifth of domestic households in the UK, received the largest number of complaints, accounting for more than two in every five grievances.
The company has pledged to reduce complaints by a quarter this year. Southern Water and Essex and Suffolk Water were also marked poor for both written complaints and complaint handling and have pledged improvements, the watchdog said.
Emma Clancy, chief executive of CCW, said: “We’re heading into a difficult winter for many struggling households as they deal with rising energy costs and other financial pressures, so companies must not allow water bills to add to customers’ worries.
“Households have a right to expect clear and accurate bills, but water companies also need to improve their communication and do more to understand their customers’ needs.”
Disconnecting households for non-payment was banned in 1999, but companies may share records of payment performance with credit agencies, or seek a county court judgment, which can result in enforcement by High Court bailiffs.
The figures comes amid a growing public outcry against England’s privatised water monopolies, which have been accused of failing to invest in infrastructure, leading to pollution, leakage and flooding failures.
Water UK, which represents the industry, said that all companies were working hard to bring complaints down after call centre capacity was “dramatically limited” over the past 18 months.
“More than a million households are currently getting help to pay their bills, and that’s set to rise to 1.5m,” it said. “In addition, during the Covid-19 pandemic, water companies have provided more than 100,000 payment breaks to customers.”
Complaints against water companies in England at highest in 5 years
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