Woman managing the debt

The Consumer Council for Water has responded to a new report by Citizens Advice which has found that regulators have allowed water, energy, broadband and telephone networks to overcharge customers by £24.1 billion over the past 15 years.

The charity’s research shows that misjudgements by regulators, including Ofwat, on key decisions have meant customers have been paying far too much for the pipes and wires that connect people to the main utilities they depend on.

CCWater has welcomed the report which reinforces many of the concerns already raised by us about regulatory over-generosity in the water industry.

Tony Smith, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Citizens Advice’s report echoes many of the concerns we’ve repeatedly raised about regulatory over-generosity in the water industry, which has benefitted shareholders but not consumers. Ofwat has listened to us and is now setting much tougher price controls, but since 2015 we estimate water companies have pocketed an additional £500 million windfall and we want to see a share of that returned to customers in lower bills or investment in essential services.”

You can read the full report from Citizens Advice here opens in new window