Ofwat calls for “fair, fast and free from hassle” cut off compensation

Ofwat has recommended payments to households left off supply be boosted to £30 for every 12 hour period. This compares to the present compensation arrangements, set out in the Guaranteed Standards Scheme, which provide for £20 for 12 hours with a further £10 for every additional 24 hours.

On top of that, the regulator said compensation payments should be automatic rather than applied for, and recommended removal of a provision that delays payments to customers where supply interruptions have been caused by a burst or leak involving a ‘strategic main’.

The recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments came on the back of Ofwat’s scrutiny of how water companies handled this winter’s freeze/thaw crisis.

Ofwat chief executive, Rachel Fletcher (pictured), said: “The reforms we are proposing today will aim to ensure that compensation for future supply interruptions is fair, fast and free from hassle.”

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/publication/guaranteed-standards-scheme-recommended-changes-to-the-welsh-government/