Complaints to watchdog about water firms jump 84% in a year

Complaints to watchdog about water firms jump 84% in a year, driven by customer concern and confusion over rising bills.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said the year-on-year increase was the highest in its 20-year history and showed 'just how dissatisfied' many people were.

Water customers in England and Wales have been hit with steep price hikes in recent years, with regulator Ofwat allowing firms to put up bills by 36% between 2025 and 2030.

The total number of complaints to the watchdog rose to 15,115 in 2025-26, from 8,235 in the previous year. Meanwhile, complaints made by households directly to water companies rose by 56% to 321,347.

The top three subjects of complaints to the CCW were measured billing, affordability and billing admin.

Mike Keil, the chief executive of the CCW, said customers are 'impatient to see the benefits' of higher bills. He said companies need to be clear and open with their customers about how they are investing people's money to deliver real improvements.

The CCW assessed each water company's performance on the number of complaints it received for every 10,000 households it serves, and the amount of effort customers have to put in to get their complaint resolved.

Thames Water and South West Water rated