Regulator acts to keep water utility costs down
Published On 20 May 2007
The regulator which is responsible for water and sewage utilities in the UK has announced that it is continuing to act to ensure consumers get a fair deal.Ofwat recently published its Water and Sewerage Charges 2007-08 Report, which showed how much money consumers had saved on their utility bills as a result of the regulator's actions.
It shows that Ofwat forced Thames Water to returned £2.7 million to consumers and that Southern Water had to give back £3.4 million to customers because of service failures.
"Without Ofwat the average customer bill, set out in [the] report, would be £90 higher," explained Ofwat's chief executive, Regina Finn.
"Many households could reduce their bills even more by switching to a water meter and by using water more efficiently."
Separately, Ofwat revealed that customers would be able to enjoy more competition from their utility suppliers. The regulator proposed an inset appointment to allow Scottish and Southern Energy Water to supply customers in Salisbury.
"This is a good step forward for competition within the water industry," said Keith Mason, Ofwat's director of regulatory finance and competition.
"Scottish and Southern will be a new player in the industry but it already has a good reputation for customer service in the gas and electricity sectors."
