The best and worst performing water companies revealed by watchdog

Household complaints to nan h2o customer watchdog person surged to a nine-year precocious pursuing nan steepest measure increases since nan industry's privatisation.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said complaints from family customers successful England and Wales roseate for nan 3rd consecutive year, up 3 per cent to 8,235 from 7,977 successful 2023-24, nan highest number of complaints successful almost a decade.

The emergence successful complaints occurred contempt an encouraging 8 per cent autumn successful nan wide number of complaints made straight to h2o companies – down to 205,853 from 222,956.

Customers must springiness their h2o institution 2 chances to resoluteness an issue, aft which they tin escalate it to CCW for review.

CCW named Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, South West Water, Affinity Water and SES Water arsenic nan poorest performing firms based connected complaints it received complete nan past year.

However, Wessex Water, Portsmouth Water and Bristol Water topped nan rankings.

Billing problems accounted for nan mostly of grievances, representing 63 per cent of complaints made to h2o companies and 66 per cent of those escalated to CCW.

Among those lodged pinch CCW was a 138 per cent emergence successful complaints astir nan standard of measure increases, while nan number of group saying they could not spend nan higher charges jumped by 39 per cent.

The spike follows nan largest single-year summation successful family h2o charges since privatisation, announced successful January, which accrued nan mean family h2o and sewerage measure from nether £500 to much than £600 a year.

However, households person been deed peculiarly difficult since April pinch an mean hike of £86 aliases 20 per cent front-loaded into nan coming year, pinch smaller percent increases successful each of nan adjacent 4 years.

Factoring successful inflation, which is added to bills each year, nan 2025-26 summation successful nan mean measure is £123, aliases 26 per cent.

In return, nan assemblage has pledged to present a grounds five-year package of finance to amended services and cleanable up rivers, streams and seas.

CCW besides reported a important emergence successful complaints astir mediocre experiences pinch smart metre installations – up 48 per cent connected nan erstwhile year.

While complaints handled by CCW astir biology issues fell 31 per cent, they remained good supra erstwhile levels amid continuing anger complete contamination from large wind overflows.

“Although it’s encouraging to spot complaints to h2o companies falling, much households are turning to CCW for thief than astatine immoderate constituent successful nan past 9 years, CCW main executive Mike Keil said.

“Bills stay nan apical interest for households, and we tin spot April’s unprecedented value rises are already hurting a batch of people.

“Clearer connection from companies could forestall galore of these complaints by helping customers understand really their money is being spent and what support is disposable if they are struggling.

“Seeing is believing: if group are paying much for their water, they request to spot existent improvements successful nan services they receive.”

A spokesperson for Water UK, which represents firms, said: “The autumn successful complaints, including an 8 per cent wide reduction, much resolved astatine nan first effort and 31 per cent less pollution-related cases, shows companies are making advancement for customers.

“Escalations to nan Consumer Council for Water this twelvemonth bespeak concerns pinch higher bills, which are basal to unafraid our h2o supplies, extremity sewage entering our rivers and seas and support economical growth.

“We understand that measure increases are ne'er invited and recognise they are difficult for galore households. That’s why h2o companies are much than doubling nan thief available, pinch £4.1 cardinal successful financial support put guardant complete nan adjacent 5 years.

“The manufacture remains committed to improving connection pinch customers and showing intelligibly really their money is being utilized to present nan improvements they expect.”

The latest complaints figures travel regulator Ofwat reporting that 2 UK h2o firms will person to salary retired much than £86 cardinal worthy of enforcement packages complete failures linked to wastewater spills.

Ofwat said failures by Anglian Water and South West Water successful maintaining large wind overflows and their sewage networks were “unacceptable”.