Record increase in household complaints over rising cost of water
Concerns and complaints about rising water charges have reached unprecedented levels, according to the Consumer Council for Water
Complaints to the water sector watchdog jumped by 84% in the past year, marking the largest annual rise in CCW's 20-year history.
Households directly contacting water companies also increased their complaints by 56%, primarily concerning billing and charges.
Between 2025 and 2030, Ofwat approved a 36% rise in water bills, contributing to a surge in concerns over affordability and debt management.
Complaints to the CCW about billing issues rose by 97%, while concerns over affordability shot up by 129%.
The CCW's assessment of company performance found Thames Water and South West Water to be the worst performers, scoring 'poor' for complaint handling and resolution.
Conversely, Portsmouth Water and Bristol Water were praised as top performers, scoring 'good' in both metrics.
The sector faces further criticism as Thames Water and four other firms have been provisionally allowed to increase charges between 2027 and 2030.
Customers express growing concern about managing costs during ongoing economic pressures, with rising charges leaving many seeking ways to cope with increased financial strain.
Local Response
While many worry about a potential cost increase, Southern Water and South East Water have both been included in the list of five water companies provisionally allowed to increase customer bills between 2027 and 2030.
We spoke to local activist and member of SOS Whitstable Ed Acteson about what he thought of the news:
"I'm not at all surprised that complaints about water companies have reached a peak and I would say it's for two reasons. "Number one, their performance is getting worse and worse. It's not improving. So that stands to reason that people would complain.
"But also public anger is rising about this. And ultimately, the more people that are aware of the issue, the more people that are angry about it, the more people are going to complain about it."
"And the government really needs to consider this when they consider what they do next, because this issue isn't going to go away and there's just going to be more and more anger until it gets fixed."