Telephone calls made by customers to water companies to resolve problems have also continued to fall broadly in line with written complaints.
Tony Smith, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Most water companies have responded well to our challenge to improve performance, with complaints now at their lowest level since we were formed in 2005. But affordability remains a huge challenge for the industry with one in five customers telling us their water bill is not affordable.
CCWater has been providing advice and support for household and business customers for the past nine years. Whether it’s getting assistance in resolving a complaint against a water company, or seeking advice on water and sewerage services – CCWater can help and it won’t cost a penny.
Mains water is by far the most common water source for farming, with 83% of all farms being at least partly dependent on public supply. Defra statistics show that annual drinking water consumption by our national livestock herd is 75 million cubic metres, with a further 11 million cubic metres used for wash down on dairy farms alone. While many farms abstract their own water supplies from the local water course or aquifer, the cost and security of access to public supply is clearly of interest to many farm businesses.
Members should therefore bear in mind that CCWater, which represents all customers of regulated water companies, could help when things go wrong. CCWater staff are based in regional offices, situated close to the water companies, their customers and the local issues which affect them.
CCWater also holds regional meetings in public across England and Wales at least once a year for each of the areas that it covers, as well as dedicated meetings for business customers, held several times a year, where it focuses more specifically on their needs and concerns. Information about meetings for business customers can be found on the CCWater website
As well as dealing with customer complaints, CCWater makes sure the views of customers are placed at the heart of how the water industry is managed and regulated. This is informed by its extensive research which helps it to understand what customers think about issues such as water companies’ spending priorities, water restrictions during times of drought, and satisfaction with service and value for money.