Households to receive up to £2,000 in compensation for water failures
Compensation will be paid up to £ 2,000 for water -service failures as part of their efforts to reform in the sector to households in the UK.
The government announced that compensation payments from water companies for problems such as low pressure, disruptions in supply or sewage floods will increase ten times from 2 July.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department (DeFRA), this movement, in accordance with inflation to bring payments and households to compensate for bad service to compensate for bad service, the first increase in compensation rates within 25 years, he said.
Severe problems such as floods endure from £ 1,000 to £ from £ 1,000 to £ 2,000, while households with consistent low water pressure will automatically be entitled to £ 250 £ from the previous compensation ratio to £ 250.
Payments automatically enter into the accounts of the appropriate customers immediately.
The announcement comes while trying to deal with the problems that swallow the water sector in the face of the anger of the high people against the degraded and dirty state of the rivers, lakes and coasts, rising invoices, bonuses of bosses and shareholders.
Environmental Secretary Steve Reed said that “too many water companies disappointed their customers – with leaked pipes, weak water supply and low water pressure”.
“The government takes into account the water companies by making them put money in their pockets when they fail their customers.”
Defra said he was working with water companies to expand the list of conditions that will trigger compensation payments.
He said that the compensation will come into force later this year when customers were asked to boil their waters due to a contaminated supply.
The standards specified in the guaranteed standards program form a foundation for customer service in the water sector and include a timely restoration of the water resource, responding to written complaints and managing the risk of sewage flood after a deduction.
It has been announced to cut sewage shedding and invest in the sector: strengthening the regulations to ensure that the pollutant water bosses who cover their crimes are now encountered for two -year imprisonment; Prohibition of “unfair” bonuses for the bosses of six pollutants; and 81 Criminal Investigation on Sewerage Pollution.
Mike Keil, the General Manager of the Consumer Council (CCW), said: “Customers are waiting to be treated fairly when water companies disappointed them, so we are pleased to rapidly act to strengthen the service standards.
“This should give peace to people, now a much wider water company has a much stronger protection than service faults, from slow installation of water meters to abuse of debt recovery.
“These changes point to an important step towards recovering confidence in the water sector, which is the lowest level of all time, as well as supporting payments for thousands of customers.”
Ofwat General Manager David Black said that he welcomed these improvements for guaranteed standards and payments for customers.
“When customers suffer from problems such as low pressure, supply or sewage floods, they may experience great stress and discomfort, and the amounts of payment should be recognized in their lives when standards are not met.
“These new changes are another way to ensure the protection of customers when companies misunderstand.”
