Buyer complaints over water payments surge by 50% in England and Wales

[ad_1] Complaints about water firms in England and Wales to an unbiased monitor surged by greater than 50% final 12 months, as prospects bristled at steep invoice will increase.

Greater than 16,000 complaints have been lodged in 2025 with the Shopper Council for Water (CCW), a government-sponsored physique that represents prospects’ pursuits.

That was up from 10,600 in 2024, with the movement of objections nicely above the extent of the prior 12 months in each month from March onwards.

Water firms have confronted enormous public anger in recent times over the quantity of sewage flowing into Britain’s rivers and seas. Nonetheless, the extent of the outrage elevated sharply final 12 months when water firms have been allowed to extend payments to pay for upgrades after many years of underinvestment.

Ofwat, the regulator in England and Wales, stated water firms might enhance payments by 36% between 2025 and 2030. Most of that enhance got here final April – prompting the surge of complaints.

Water firms are braced for an additional backlash this week when the subsequent invoice will increase – together with additional to account for inflation – are introduced as a part of that five-year plan.

Complaints elevated about each massive water supplier, in line with the CCW, which handles points that haven't been resolved by the businesses themselves. Southern Water had probably the most per buyer, adopted by Severn Trent and Thames Water, in line with evaluation of utilities with greater than 1 million prospects.

Mike Keil, the CCW’s chief government, stated: “The sustained rise in complaints to CCW displays not solely folks’s worries about with the ability to afford will increase of their water invoice, but additionally confusion and concern round what they're getting in return for his or her cash. Clients must see proof their cash is bettering companies within the right here and now, in addition to coping with the longer-term challenges.”

graph By far the largest motive for complaints throughout 2025 was the shortage of affordability of payments, in line with the CCW’s information. The physique stated such considerations added to the proof in favour of introducing a decrease “social tariff” throughout England and Wales to assist poorer prospects.

“The postcode lottery created by present water firm social tariff schemes must be changed by fairer and higher focused assist,” Keil stated.

A spokesperson for the trade physique Water UK stated: “We perceive that invoice will increase are by no means welcome and recognise they're troublesome for a lot of households. That’s why water firms are greater than doubling the assistance accessible, with £4.1bn in monetary assist accessible over the subsequent 5 years for these prospects that want it.”

Public anger over invoice enhance has additionally been fuelled by the notion that water firms have paid out billions of kilos in dividends to traders, whereas additionally awarding massive pay packets to bosses regardless of bans on bonuses at some corporations.

MPs on the general public accounts committee on Thursday grilled executives from Ofwat and the federal government’s surroundings division about pay for water bosses, after the Guardian revealed that bosses at Yorkshire Water and Wessex Water had acquired beforehand undisclosed pay from different firms in the identical group.

Anna Dixon, the Labour MP for Shipley, stated the regulators ought to “crack down” on what she described as “water firms evading the bonus ban”. Lloyd Hatton, the Labour MP for South Dorset, criticised Ofwat and different water regulators for not policing water firms’ pay disclosures.

Hatton requested the Ofwat bosses: “Why is it we await a report within the Guardian newspaper to know precisely how water firms are working and the way they use these complicated company constructions to place additional pay behind their bosses?”

England is the one nation on the planet with a completely privatised water system. The federal government controls water provide in Scotland and Northern Eire, whereas a lot of Wales is equipped by the not-for-profit Dŵr Cymru.