South West Water Intimidating low income carers!?

Does anyone know how to check bills from South West Water?I am a carer expected to pay almost £700 a year with only state benefits to live on.I have worked all my life and am bringing up a family. S.W.W frequently turn the H20 off without notice and the filth that follows from the taps is disgusting,there is no recompense and I was refused a complaints form!!. I can’t pay these extortionate amounts and they tell me to install a meter.However this is only financially beneficial for a person living alone.There are 3 in this household, I have a young daughter, so this suggestion makes finances worse and is of no assistance to those living in poverty due to illness beyond their control.Can anyone tell me how I can check the annual assessment as I have not seen another person with such a huge water tarriff..Are there any grants for carers to help pay their water ?and most importantly can I report their intimidating letters to any authority as they make me sick with anxiety and worry

We are in a similar situation re on carers allowance etc, although we have 3 children in the household (5 people total). We changed over to a water meter a few years ago now, and we do save money on it despite the fairly large number of people in the household (approx 30% less now than it was before the meter), so I would think that with 3 people in the household, you would probably save money too…the good news is that should you opt to change to a water meter and find after 12 months that you are not saving/paying more on a meter, you are legally entitled to ask the water company to revert to charging you the same amount you paid before without removing the meter (its some sort of govt subsidy thing I think to monitor water consumption). We had leaflets etc explaining this before we had the meter installed, which I kept so that we had that in writing in case it did cost us more, they were part of a meter info pack from the water board so it might be worth asking them for a pack, they are free and would allow you to check it out more in your own time without feeling pressured on the phone

A fair few friends of mine swapped to meters after us, including a friend who has 2 adults and 5 kids aged 12-6 in the house, and she saved too, so I really think it unlikely it would cost you more to be on a meter.

I think part of the reason for the saving, in our area at least, is that to encourage people onto meters, we actually pay less per “unit” than non-meter customers. Another reason is that water charges on non-metered properties are often calculated by the number of bedrooms a property has, so say for example there are 3 people, a couple and a child, living in a 3 bedroom property, you would probably save on a meter as you are currently paying a rate worked out by the average number of people living in a 3 bedroom property, which will be more than 3.

With regards to the way the water company has treated you, I would suggest that you start keeping records of any phone conversations and letters you receive in a file, then take this to the citizens advice bureau, or a local carers support group. The CAB are usually found in your local phone book or on the web, and local carers groups are often contactable through your local GP’s surgery. Both these types of organisations offer free advice and support, and can, if you want them to, appoint advocates for you (again free) to deal with the water company on your behalf, so you wouldn’t have to phone them etc anymore as someone else who is used to it and trained in the laws etc about it can do it for you.

I am not aware of any grants available for carers, but the best way to check you are receiving anything like that that you are entitled to is to contact your local welfare rights bureau, again available either on the web or from your local phone book, and often local services like GPs, one stop shops etc.
These people in particular have been fantastic at helping us sort things like that out in the past, they are very friendly and approachable, as well as very good at what they do!

Finally, if you have someone in your household who has a medical condition which requires the use of extra water than “normal”, you can get on a reduced tariff both as a meter and non-meter customer; I know for e.g. if someone has fairly severe eczema you can get on it, as they require medicated baths. If someone in the household uses more water because of a medical condition, you should inform the water company directly, either yourself or through an advocacy service such as those I mentioned above, to enquire if you may be eligible for a lower tariff.

Another thing to check if the water bill seems stupidly high is that there aren’t any leaks in your pipes. If you live in rented accommodation pipes on your side of the property line are the responsibility of the landlord, and those outside it are that of the water company…it might be worth asking about this as well, especially if you do opt to go for a meter.

Good luck with the situation, I hope some of this waffle is useful!

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