England: The number of unresolved customer complaints directed at water companies in England and Wales has surged nearly 30 percent, reaching the highest level in nearly a decade, according to the latest annual report from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
During the 2023-24 period, there was a 29 percent increase in cases directed to the CCW by households that could not achieve resolution through their water supplier’s complaints process. The rise in complaints has been attributed to growing consumer dissatisfaction over sewage spills, billing errors, and issues with water meters. Many customers turn to the CCW after exhausting their supplier’s two-stage complaints process.
The recent report indicates that water companies received a total of 222,956 complaints during the reporting year, with over half (57 percent) related to billing issues. These complaints included disputes over charges, payment methods, and affordability concerns.
“We’re particularly concerned to see a significant rise in complaints from customers with water meters who are questioning the accuracy of their bill,” stated Mike Keil, Chief Executive of CCW.
CCW rated ‘Thames Water’ and ‘Yorkshire Water’ as “poor” in its assessments, which is the lowest category for total complaints and their handling. The environmental complaints have skyrocketed to 217 percent over the past year, largely due to concerns regarding storm overflow spills and pollution of rivers and seas. Complaints related to water meters increased by 30 percent, highlighting issues around reading frequency and operational accuracy.
The report comes amid rising public and political outrage over water companies polluting waterways while still distributing dividends to shareholders and bonuses to executives. The Labour Party has pledged to take action against this practice.
Sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas more than doubled in 2023, with the Environment Agency reporting about 3.6 million hours of spills last year compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022.
In response to these issues, the water regulator for England and Wales, Ofwat, has proposed £168 million ($208.32 million) in fines for three major water companies for failing to manage sewage spills.
The Ofwat plans to review all feedback carefully before making a final decision on water firms’ spending plans by December 19, 2024.
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