Water companies will pay out £114 million to bill-payers after failing to meet key targets on reducing pollution, leakage and supply interruptions while customer satisfaction continues to fall, Ofwat has said. Not one company achieved the regulator’s top category of “leading” while Dwr Cymru, Southern, Thames, Anglian, Bristol, South East and Yorkshire Water fell into the lowest category of “lagging” and the remaining 10 were rated “average”.
The total industry amount of £114 million is offset by some companies being rewarded, such as Severn Trent Water taking £88 million and United Utilities taking £25 million. Ofwat said these figures are provisional until it completes the review process. “However, our latest report shows they are falling short, leading to £114 million being returned to customers through bill reductions. While that may be welcome to bill payers, it is very disappointing news for all who want to see the sector do better.
Mike Keil, senior director at the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Customers are tired of not getting the service they deserve for the things they care about. It’s right and fair that people get their money back when they don’t receive the services they were promised by some water companies. People want assurance that their water bill is good value for money.”