Fewer than half of households know help is available, watchdog finds
Fewer than half of water customers in England and Wales are aware of the additional help on offer from their water providers according to findings from water customer watchdog, CCW.
CCW said the awareness shortfall could leave people most in need of help missing out on essential extra support from their water company, despite record demand sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic
CCW found that 43% of customers in England and Wales were aware of the extra help their water company offered. Examples of those extra services include delivery of bottled water in an emergency and providing information in accessible formats like large print or in languages other than English.
CCW said the people most likely to need water company assistance are also those who find it more difficult to access it. They include minority ethnic groups, the digitally excluded, disabled people and those with poor literacy.
CCW quoted findings from GottaBe! Marketing, that “People from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background are twice as likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts. Therefore it is vital that they are made aware of support and advice available to them.” CCW said it was is "pleased to be collaborating with water companies on a number of pilot schemes to make improvements in this area."
Chief executive of CCW, Emma Clancy, said: “With people continuing to struggle financially and emotionally in the wake of the pandemic, it’s so important for our industry to continue its efforts to make customers aware of what help is available to them.”
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