South East Water’s commitment to providing excellent services for its vulnerable customers has been once again recognised with a BSI Kitemark™certification.

New data released by Ofwat shows that the total debt for household water bills across England and Wales for households amounts to over £2 billion. As of March 2024, approximately 8.2% of household customers were in payment arrears, with the average amount owed to their water company being approximately £822.

Improving water bill reductions for single people living with medical conditions which rely on higher levels of water use is among a raft of sweeping changes to the WaterSure support scheme, being proposed by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).

Ofwat is consulting on new standards expected of water companies for how they should operate, grow and maintain their priority services registers (PSR) of customers that need extra help. The regulator estimates that as many as 52% of households in England and Wales are likely to be eligible for PSR services.

Yorkshire Water has announced a new partnership with Citizens Advice Leeds to support customers facing financial difficulties.

Almost 600 delegates joined a Vulnerability Summit on Tuesday in person and online, that drew together leaders from the utilities sector, consumer groups, charities, trade representatives, financial services and government.

Affinity Water has announced the certification to the BSI Kitemark for inclusive service, a certification that goes beyond the requirements of ISO 22458 certification for consumer vulnerability, formerly known as BSI standard 18477 for inclusive services.

Around 250,000 people living in the Midlands are now receiving some form of financial support from Severn Trent, as the company is committed to helping its most financially vulnerable customers.

Ofwat has today set out clear minimum standards for water companies to ensure that those customers who need extra help are provided with the level of service they require.

Northumbrian Water is urging people to open up about their finances during Talk Money Week (6 – 10 November) and to let the firm know if they’re worried about paying their water bill.