One in three eligible households are missing out on social tariff savings

One in three hard up households in England and Wales are missing out on support that could reduce their water bills, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater).

Social tariff schemes offered by 19 of the 21 water companies could reduce bills significantly - by up to 90% depending on the water company’s tariff and the customer’s financial circumstances. They are available to some 400,000 households but only 128,200 are taking advantage of them said CC Water.

Senior policy manager at CCWater, Andy White, said: “Although there is now more help than ever before to support water customers, thousands of struggling households continue to miss out. We are working with water companies to help them improve the promotion of their schemes and raise awareness of the help which is available.