New regulations punishing poor performances by water companies have not prevented some firms from continuing to fail. However, as a business, you have the right to switch providers and we can make this process very simple.
Changing water supplier is not something that households can do, but businesses can, and at a time when increasingly hot summers threaten to place the reliability of supplies in jeopardy, the need for water companies to step up is often not being met.
That means your company could have very good reasons for switching to a more reliable provider. Not only could your firm have problems if it does not get a reliable supply now, but it may also face future problems if suppliers do not prepare adequately for future challenges.
How Can You Switch Water Supplier?
Our water switching service is simple and effective:
- You enter your firm’s postcode and some further details, such as your current water bill and the size and nature of your company
- We then search the market for providers to find the best deals
- We can then take you seamlessly through a simple switching process, without loads of paper, phone calls, fees or other red tape
- You will then start enjoying the benefits of a new provider, such as better service and a lower price
The key point is that because switching is not hard, you should not allow your business to put up with being let down by your provider.
Recent legislation was supposed to have got water companies to improve their act, with measures including the granting of new powers to the regulator Ofwat to penalise failing companies, such as the blocking of bonuses to the executives of failing companies.
Ofwat used this to halt £4 million of payments in the first 12 months since this power was introduced, yet some have still failed.
How Bad Is South East Water’s Performance?
A particularly bad offender has been South East Water (SEW):
- In March, Ofwat proposed a £22 million fine for the company after a succession of supply failures affecting households and businesses alike across Kent and Sussex between 2020 and 2023.
- The company has also been under investigation for supply failures in late 2025 and early 2026, when many businesses were, once again, among those impacted.
- Recent research by the Consumer Council for Water found that 41 per cent of customers were now unsure if the water they received was fit for use and around half now kept bottled water in case of future outages.
- Ofwat data has revealed that the company has been losing 104 million litres a day through leaks, up five per cent from 2020.
- Last year saw SEW put up bills by an inflation-busting seven per cent, which has predictably antagonised many customers.
- SEW chief executive David Hinton resigned last month, with his successor John Halsall promising a record £2.1 billion programme of improvements to “improve reliability and resilience”.
Whether the pledges made by Mr Halsall will bear fruit remains to be seen, but after such a series of failures, many will be sceptical. Even if they are effective, it could take time to tackle a range of deep problems such as infrastructure failings.
What Has Ofwat Been Doing About Failing Water Companies?
If SEW were a one-off case, this would not be so bad, but there have been many other instances of water firms letting customers down. The list of fines and other penalties proposed by Ofwat in the past year alone highlights this:
- A £44.7 million enforcement package for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water for wastewater failings
- An £11 million enforcement package for Wessex Water
- A £62.8 million enforcement package for Anglian Water and a £24 million enforcement package for South West Water, jointly announced last September.
These penalties come on top of many others imposed in recent years, with Thames Water among the serial offenders. Indeed, the latter company has also been in deep financial trouble, with much uncertainty over its future.
Would Andy Burnham Nationalise Water Companies?
This increased after Andy Burnham recently stated he believes Thames Water should be nationalised, something he will have the power to enact if he becomes prime minister, a prospect that has moved from being a possibility to a probability over the last few days.
Some have advocated nationalising SEW as well, but even if Mr Burnham does soon get the keys to Number 10, it would still take some considerable time to push through the process of legislation and then the transactions.
Rather than waiting for something that may or may not happen and then hoping this leads to the requisite service improvements at an acceptable price, you and your company can act today.
If you think you are not getting value for money, we can help you find a better deal.
