Water complaints rise by record 84% as higher bills hit households

What happened

Households took 15,115 complaints about water companies to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) in 2025-26, an annual increase of 84% and the sharpest rise in the organisation’s 20 years. Higher bills, difficulties paying and confusion over charges were central to customers’ dissatisfaction.

The total was up from 8,235 in the previous year, meaning the consumer watchdog received 6,880 additional complaints. The increase came as households in England and Wales faced substantial rises in water charges, bringing the cost of the service into closer focus.

Complaints submitted directly to water suppliers also increased, rising by 56% to 321,347. These are a separate measure from cases reaching CCW: customers must first raise their problem with their company before taking it to the consumer body.

The three leading subjects raised with CCW were metered charges, the ability to afford bills and billing administration. These cover different problems: a customer may dispute the calculation of a charge, struggle to meet it or encounter difficulties with the way an account is managed.

That distinction matters when resolving a case. Explaining how a charge has been calculated addresses a different concern from helping someone who accepts the amount but cannot afford it. The range of complaints puts both the clarity of bills and the financial pressure on households at the centre of companies’ customer service work.

The background

The increases come during a period of rising charges across the water industry. Ofwat, the economic regulator, has authorised a 36% increase in bills between 2025 and 2030, alongside the steep rises customers have already experienced in recent years.

That five-year figure describes an increase across a period, rather than a rise to be applied every year. It is also distinct from the annual changes individual suppliers make, which are more immediately visible to households when their next bill arrives.

Last month, Ofwat approved higher bills for 13 companies in response to growing demands on infrastructure and the environment. Five — Thames Water, Severn Trent Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water and South East Water — had already received permission to increase charges in 2024.

Thames Water illustrates how annual changes can differ. Its average customer’s bill rose by 31% in 2024, compared with a 3.4% increase this year. A smaller percentage increase slows the pace of growth but does not reverse the earlier rise: charges continue upwards from their existing level.

Ofwat and CCW have different responsibilities in this system. The regulator makes decisions about permitted bill increases, while the consumer body handles complaints escalated by customers and assesses companies’ performance in dealing with them. Approval for higher charges and scrutiny of customer service therefore address separate aspects of the industry.

How companies were assessed

CCW used two measures to compare suppliers: the number of complaints it received for every 10,000 households served, and the effort customers needed to make to resolve their problem. Together, they examine both how frequently cases reach the watchdog and how demanding the complaints process is for customers.

Measuring complaints against the number of households served allows companies of different sizes to be compared. A raw total alone would not make that adjustment. The effort measure adds another dimension, looking beyond the volume of cases to the experience of pursuing a resolution.

Thames Water and South West Water received poor ratings on both measures. Their results therefore reflected weaknesses in both the rate of complaints reaching CCW and the work customers had to put into getting a problem settled.

Portsmouth Water and Bristol Water were the only suppliers rated good in both categories. Both retained their positions at the top of the rankings, demonstrating a marked difference in assessed performance between companies operating within the same wider sector.

The annual totals count complaints, rather than providing a count of every dissatisfied household. The direct-to-company figures and the CCW figures also describe different stages of the process, so adding them together would not produce a reliable total of separate customer problems.

What people are saying

Mike Keil, CCW’s chief executive, said the results demonstrated continuing dissatisfaction with the water sector. He said customers wanted to see improvements from the extra money they were paying and urged companies to explain openly how that money was being invested.

Water UK, which represents water companies, acknowledged the difficulty of rising bills but defended the need for additional funding. It said investment was necessary to safeguard water supplies, accommodate economic growth and stop sewage reaching rivers and seas.

The industry body also said 94% of complaints were handled at the earliest stage, without further involvement from CCW. Its response emphasised the large share dealt with within companies’ own processes, rather than the smaller group of cases that progressed to the consumer watchdog.

Water UK said the industry remained committed to communicating better with customers and demonstrating where their payments were going. That places explanations of spending alongside the physical upgrades companies say higher charges will fund.

What happens next

Thames Water has begun a programme to redesign its bills to make them easier to understand. Retail director David Bird apologised to customers who had received inadequate service and identified the presentation of bills as a particular cause of frustration. The work targets one of the practical problems behind billing complaints.

South West Water said its response would focus on preventing customers from having to make repeated contact, settling problems when they first get in touch and providing clearer, more timely updates. Those changes address the effort involved in seeking help as well as the substance of the original complaint.

For households pursuing an individual case, the first step remains a complaint to their own water company. CCW provides the subsequent route for taking the issue further. Keeping those stages distinct is important: contacting the consumer body does not replace the requirement to approach the supplier first.

The longer-term spending framework runs through 2030. Within that period, companies face the task of delivering infrastructure and environmental improvements while managing customers’ questions about charges and the day-to-day service they receive.

Why this matters

For readers in England and Wales, the practical impact reaches beyond the amount due. A difficult complaints process can require repeated calls or messages to resolve an account problem, adding an administrative burden to the pressure of paying for an essential household service.

The different ratings also make company-level performance relevant to customers. Industry-wide figures show the scale of dissatisfaction, but the comparisons reveal substantial variation in how suppliers handle problems — an important distinction for households seeking an explanation, help with affordability or a resolution to a disputed bill.