31 October 2007
Written complaints to Britain's water providers rose by 30% last year, according to industry watchdog the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
The new figures, covering the 2006/07 period, showed a rise to 241,000 total complaints - with 78% of the total directed at just three firms: Thames Water, United Utilities and Severn Trent Water.
Almost half of water-related complaints were related to billing issues, CCW said - with service complaints also accounting for 15%.
Yve Buckland, National Chair of the Consumer Council for Water, said: "Water customers are becoming increasingly demanding of their companies. They see water companies making good profits and expect service, if not improving, then at the very least delivered to a good, consistent and reliable standard. They also want complaints dealt with 'right first time'.
“We will be pushing water companies to improve these figures and provide a much better level of customer service, comparable with the best in other service sectors.”
The new report is the first published information on this subject from CCW, a service which aims to gain compensation and rebates for customers.
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