Customers in England and Wales have lodged a staggering 50% more complaints about their water providers to an independent monitor last year, as steep bill increases sparked widespread public outrage.
The number of households filing complaints with the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) rose to over 16,000 in 2025, up from 10,600 the previous year. Southern Water received the most complaints per customer, followed by Severn Trent and Thames Water.
The CCW, a government-sponsored body representing consumer interests, said the sustained rise in complaints reflects not only people’s worries about affording the increases, but also confusion and concern about the value they are getting for their money.
“Customers need to see evidence their money is improving services in the here and now, as well as dealing with the longer-term challenges,” said CCW chief executive Mike Keil.
The affordability of bills was by far the biggest reason for complaints during 2025, according to the CCW data. The body said such concerns add to the case for introducing a lower “social tariff” across England and Wales to help poorer customers.
“The postcode lottery created by existing water company social tariff schemes needs to be replaced by fairer and better targeted support,” Keil added.
Water UK, the industry body, acknowledged that bill increases are “never welcome” and said companies are “more than doubling the help available, with £4.1bn in financial support” over the next five years for those who need it.
However, public anger has also been fuelled by the perception that water firms have paid out billions in dividends to investors while awarding large pay packets to executives, despite bans on bonuses at some companies.
MPs on the public accounts committee grilled regulators this week about the pay of water bosses, after revelations that some had received previously undisclosed pay from other companies in the same group.
Labour MP Anna Dixon said the regulator should “crack down” on what she described as “water companies evading the bonus ban”, while Lloyd Hatton, also a Labour MP, criticised the regulators for not policing water companies’ pay disclosures more effectively.
England is the only country in the world with a fully privatised water system, while water supply is government-controlled in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and much of Wales is supplied by the not-for-profit Dŵr Cymru.
