Thames Water runs water-bill amnesty
Water company confirms it will waive bills for those who have been using water without being charged, with 3 March deadline
Thames Water is offering a six-week amnesty to people who have not been billed for the water they are using.
The water company, which supplies more than three million addresses in London and the Thames Valley, says that because it has not been informed when properties have been divided into flats, some homes have been using water without being charged. And although newly built properties now require meters to be installed measuring the amount of water used, Thames Water says in some cases the property developer has connected properties to the network without notifying the water supplier.
Thames Water says that anyone who admits they have not been getting bills will have the cost of their previous water usage waived. But the water company has started an audit, and says that those found to be using water without paying after the 3 March deadline will face backdated bills.
Simon Evans, a spokesman for Thames Water, said: "Potentially we can go back six years. Our average charge is 300 a year, making us the lowest in the sector, but if you get six lots of bills in one go, it's not very pleasant."
The amnesty will not apply to customers whose account is in the process of being set up but who have not yet received their first bill.
Mike Tempest, customer services director at Thames Water, said: "We believe this is the quickest and fairest way to tackle a significant problem. We are going to walk every street in our region over the next three months, checking our records against the addresses and doorbells. When we find unbilled residential customers we can and will back-charge them to the date that they moved into the property, up to six years."
Tempest said he believed this was the first water ! bill amn esty of its kind in the UK, but it was likely that other water companies may face similar problems. He added that the extra income Thames Water gets from currently unbilled customers will help to make water bills as affordable as possible for everyone.
People who think they should be paying for water but who have not received bills can take part in the amnesty by calling 0800 072 3628.
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