Neighbour threatening to disconnect my water I live in a semi-rural area and my property, and 8 others, obtain our water supply via a pipe that runs under a field owned by a person that simply owns the land, no dwelling. A dispute has arisen (people objected to a planning application he made) and now he is threatening to disconnect the water supply to the 8 properties. So, my question is, can he legally do this? Where do I go to deal with this, Severn Trent Water are not helpful so far. Just getting to speak to someone about anything other than my bill or a leak is proving impossible. Thank you in advance for any assistance. Marcus

We've had trouble with discoloured tap water ever since we moved into this house, I think the neighbours get it too, not sure if it's as bad for them though. We've reported it to the water board several times, but they just say it's normal and acceptable to get slight discolouration from time to time - just a bit of sediment/rust in the pipes apparently. We asked them to fit a filter, but they said they wouldn't do that. Sometimes it's clearer than others, but today it's about as bad as it gets, so I took some pictures and filled a small bottle with a sample, intending to send it off to them. This is what a couple of inches of water in our (white) bath tub looks like: [ATTACH=CONFIG]53325[/ATTACH] Am I expecting too much, is it reasonable to get tap water this colour? My kids drink this stuff, and I'd like to be sure it isn't affecting their health!

I have just recieved a county court claim dated 01/09/14 from Welsh Water for water charges and sewerage charges for the period 01/04/14 to 31/03/15. The amount being claimed is £558.12 plus court fee £60 and solicitors costs £70. I made a payment of £288.12 on the date the county court claim was issued not knowing that Welsh Water had issued the claim. This payment represents more then the 5 months charges I actually owe Welsh Water. My question is are Welsh Water legally allowed to issue a county court claim for water and services I have not yet recieved and if not how do I formulate a defence ? Thank you in advance for your invaluable help and advice.

Hi I have a problem with my water changes as below if anyone can help please. Actual water usage for period 01 April 2013 to 20 February 2014 (365 days) Fresh water used= 11.87 price per m3 = 128.43 Fresh water used £15.24 Fixed charge £25.01 Used water disposal £8.36 Fixed charge £50.01 I didn't use much water & the fixed charges amounts to way more than the water. I asked if they were allowed to charges so much & they claimed they were. I'm very annoyed with them because they claim that this is for work done. But when I moved in to my flat in September 2012, I asked them to read the meter & they refused. It took 6 months before they read it & in that time I hadn't used water, as couldn't work boiler (used bottled water, as I do for most things). Nevertheless they are claiming I owe them £64.25 estimated cost for previous period too. I wrote to Thames water several months ago stating I didn't use any water for first 6 months in property & they have no proof of such, so I won't pay the £64.25 estimate. I also asked them to reduce fixed charges by half, stating I wouldn't pay until they corrected the unfair bill. But they still claim I must pay. They claimed regulatory ombudsman had stated their charges were fair & in line with what they can charge. They gave me number of ombudsman but said that ombudsman would say the charges are fair. Thames water claim I must pay a yearly service charge of £80 no matter how much or how little water I use. I stated that I have no problem with paying for water & waste water charges but don't see why I'm being asked to pay £80 year on top of this for nothing. Especially as they only read meter once every 6 months & it is located under manhole with whole streets electronically read all at once. I feel they don't warrant the charge. Is there anything I can do please? They have been threatening debt collectors. I'm on disability benefit & can't afford to pay £251 they now claim I owe.

Hi, As above; Southern water fitted a meter to my 76yr Mother's house a few months ago, after 2 leaks at the meter point, the last one a few weeks ago, repaired all seemed well. Firstly; it looks like the yearly water will now rise from £290 to around £440 per yr. Secondly; she's now told the meter cannot be removed after being told if she didn't like it in a year's time, it could be removed. Thirdly; the last straw, because they increased the water pressure a few weeks ago for some reason, it appears this has burst a water pipe under the kitchen floor, and flooded the kitchen. They say they are not responsible for water damage inside the property. Questions; Are they responsible? Is they any action that can be taken? Can she get the water meter removed? Thankfully she has insurance, but how much work and £££ they cover is yet to be found out. Please, any help/answers will be gratefully received, Cheers.

Hi all (sorry, this is long) I am seeking advice on whether to pursue a PI claim against Tesco. I haven't had anything like this happen before and I can't seem to get my head together. There is so much background and I am in pain and very anxious, so I think I need an outside perspective? I slipped on some water in the drinks aisle at Tesco yesterday. I didn't fall all the way down (tried to stay upright due to the embarrassment of being in public!) but another customer saw it and came over to see if I was ok (it was a real "banana peel" moment, with my right leg going up in the air). I was more embarrassed than anything so I kinda just brushed her off, saying I was fine. I went over to the tills, reported the spillage to the supervisor and she apologised and asked if I was ok. I said yes, and went off to get my shopping (this happened within seconds of entering the store) - I was only picking up a couple of bits, so was in there less than 5 minutes, I guess? By the time I got back to the till, my lower back, right leg and lower right side of my stomach had started hurting and I think shock kicked in? I got all shaky and hot and started sweating profusely. I bumped into the same customer again, she asked if I was ok (I probably looked rough!) and I said no, I was feeling a bit rough now. She gave me her name/number (she kept saying to me I would be in more pain tomorrow and I should make a claim) and said I should sit down. Luckily I was at the self-service tills, next to customer service, so I went over. They got me a seat, some water and a fan and phoned their "injury helpline" to report it. They offered me ibuprofen but I didn't want to chance it (see below) so I gave them my details and, once I felt well enough, I left to pick my daughter up. Background medical: I am 9 weeks pregnant and on blood thinning meds to prevent miscarriage (I have a diagnosis and a previous successful pregnancy whilst on these meds). I also had a slipped disc in 2006, treated by GP & NHS physio at the time, with the occasional recurrences treated by a private osteopath. I saw my GP last night (I was picking up my repeat prescription anyway so made an emergency apt as I was in pain). He examined me, said it was probably a pulled muscle in my abdomen and that I shouldn't take ibuprofen, just paracetamol because of my other meds. He was concerned about the risk of internal bleeding due to my meds and said that if I bruise or start to bleed, I need to attend A&E immediately. Apparently because of the blood thinners there is a risk of internal haemorrhage. He ordered 2 days' bed rest and paracetamol, and to phone him if it got any worse - he offered to prescribe codeine but I don't want to risk it. Today, I have sciatic pain radiating down both legs (my slipped disc previously affected my left leg only) and am unable to stand, sit or walk comfortably. Also the pulled muscle in my stomach is killing me whenever I sneeze or stand up too quickly. My parents have had to come over and help out with my daughter most of the day, so I could stay in bed. My dad and husband are both telling me I should claim against Tesco - I don't understand why? What could I claim for - I didn't break anything or even hit the floor, I just have sciatic pain which could be attributed to my prior disc problems? I do have some slight bruising along my lower spine - I am waiting for my husband to get home from work to decide whether to go to A&E. If anything does happen, won't Tesco just claim that it is due to my history of miscarriage? I am just worried that they will demand to see my medical records and just say I had a prior back problem, which is exacerbated by pregnancy. I am sorry for the flood of info - I am hoping that there is a "legal" someone out there who can pick out all the relevant info. My mind is spinning and I am struggling to look after my 4-year old, as I don't want to take any more meds. I also run our business from home and can't focus today, as I am just worried about this little person inside me! If anyone has any advice, it would be gratefully received. I think I am mostly glad to get all this off my chest - it was a bit traumatic and I haven't had anyone to talk to about it today. Thanks for reading, if you got through all that!

Good Afternoon, I have received a County Court Summons from United Utilities Water for claim for unpaid bills for water used etc. I live in a rented apartment and water is supplied through a meter. I first became concerned in 2012 when I received a bill for water use that seemed particularly high (for one person living alone). After some investigation and telephone call with United Utilities, I discovered that the water meters at this building are connected incorrectly and the meter registered to my apartment is NOT connected to my apartment. I have established this by turning the mains water tap off (that is connected to this meter) and the water maintains full pressure in my apartment. Furthermore, I have taken a reading of the numbers (showing water consumption) on the meter registered to my apartment and then released a considerable amount of water from the taps in my apartment. I then re-checked the numbers showing consumption on the meter and they had not changed. From this, I concluded that the meter that is registered to my apartment is not the actual one connected it. I first became aware of this problem and reported it to United Utilities on 1st November 2012 where I was informed that someone would come and visit my apartment and look at the problem. I have since made several telephone calls (for which I have contemporaneous notes and a record of the date and time the calls were made) to report this and continue to make United Utilities aware of the problem. In addition, I have sent letters and have recorded delivery receipts. I have not received any response to my letters and during some of the telephone conversations I have been asked to prove (in writing) that the meter is incorrectly connected. It is impossible for me to prove in a letter how a plumbing system is connected and it would be necessary for a plumber to visit my apartment to establish this. When I mentioned this during a telephone conversation, I was threatened with a visit from a debt collector and was assured that they would not be interested in looking at the water connection but would be guaranteed to leave with payment of the money United Utilities allege that I owe. It is my intention to defend their entire claim but I wish to make a counterclaim. I suffer from depression and have (in 2013) attempted suicide due to the pressure from various debt collectors and United Utilities unwillingness to address the problem. Since this problem was first brought to the attention of United Utilities in November 2012, I have been in a position where I felt unable to use water in my apartment due to the knowledge that my water system was connected to another meter and someone else would be getting charged for my water consumption. I subsequently suffered increasingly poor standards of hygiene, have been unable to wash or flush the toilet correctly and in extremis have boiled rain water in order to make a cup of tea. I have had to make regular visits to my mother’s home in order to properly use the toilet and take showers etc which has involved considerable travelling expenses. My general health has suffered considerably and my mental health deteriorated significantly due to the threats issued by United Utilities and debt collectors pursuing me for alleged debt despite being informed of the problem. What would be the accepted or usual amount of compensation for my distress etc that I should enter in my counterclaim. The other main difficulty I have is that the court charge a fee for a counterclaim. My career sadly ended due to ill health and I do not have the funds to pay the court fees. It would distress me greatly to think that United Utilities were able to get away without even an apology for what they have done to me. In relation to this, the wider issue remains that United Utilities have continued to receive payments fraudulently from at least one other tenant in this building who is actually connected to the meter that is wrongly registered to apartment 5. I do not know and have no way of knowing who this person is or which apartment is actually connected to this meter. I do know that there have been a number of changes in tenants in several apartments and this issue could potentially affect a large number of people going back to the time when the water meters were first installed. It is my concern that due to the seriousness of this matter, United Utilities will try to rectify the problem in order to avoid admitting liability. Any general advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. Many Thanks.

I had Anglian Water contact me at my address kindly telling that I owe over £3000!! I asked how this could be as I had only lived at my partners address since last year and their records indicated I had been there since I think 2010, and I had somehow taken on my partners previous debt? I phoned them and explained everything offered £40 a week but was told that my partners debt's go back to 2005 and I was indicated as living here etc. they wanted proof of my old address/new address which I sent them and then received this email - Dear Mr Anthony **** ** ****** CLOSE NORTHAMPTON Thank you for your recent e-mail. I can confirm that we have now updated our records as per the proof which you have provided and the revised bill should reach you within the next five working days. Unfortunately, however I was unable to contact you or Ms ......... on the numbers provided as the calls went unanswered. The information on the both the accounts are listed below for your reference. Account number Account holder Liability period Current outstanding balance 1362**** Mr Anthony ***** 1 July 2012 – current £369.69 1018**** Miss Theresa **** 21 November 2005 – 30 June 2012 £2,869.63 I have now set up a payment arrangement on the account 1362**** and the new payment booklet should reach you within the next seven working days. The first monthly instalment of £40.00 will be due on 8 June 2013. However we are unable to set up a payment arrangement on the account 1018**** as it has been transferred to SRJ Debt Recoveries Ltd, therefore if you wish to set up a payment arrangement on this account, kindly contact SRJ Debt Recoveries Ltd from the below given contact details. SRJ Debt Recoveries Ltd 3 Genesis Business Park Albert Drive Woking Surrey GU21 5RW Telephone No: 0845 313 7200 Fax No : 01483 714845 If you’ve any further queries, we are here to help. Go to www.anglianwater.co.uk, our virtual assistant, Amanda, can answer many questions and guide you to further help. Customer Services ...................................................................... To which I replied - From the 1st July onwards the account should show as a joint amount as we both live here and are responsible for the water payments. I will not deal with or enter into any negotiations with debt collection agencies unless they can prove that i/we owe them the money with all of the previous statements / meter readings etc. Kind regards, Anthony. ...................................................................... Is there any way we can go about writing off the previous debt? I dont mind being £300 in arrears but not £3000!! My Mrs has said that in and around 2008 she cancelled the direct debit she had with them after they increased it without her knowing and she incurred bank charges - she never paid them again. However most of the debt was from her previous address before 2005!!! What can we do? SAR? Thanks again, Tony.

Hi all Was just after some advice about a situation I have found myself in with my new flat. Around a week before I was due to move in I was informed that for the first week of the tenancy there would be no water supply due to a mix up with dates between the council and the water company as to when the pavement / road could be dug up to allow connection. I was due to move in to the flat on the 28th June, and the water was to be connected on 6th July. I was offered and accepted a fixed sum in compensation which covered that weeks rent and a little extra, this is to be in the form of a rent reduction for month two. I arranged to stay at a hotel for a few nights and spent a couple of nights with friends. There are also two other flats in the same development in the same position. Now the 6th has been and gone and I still have no water supply. I have been in daily contact with the managing agents who are firmly pinning blame on the water company (Affinity Water) who apparently are having trouble locating where to connect the flats to the water main! They are now saying they need to make a bigger excavation and to do so they need permission from some authority or other. To me this sounds like it could take a while, and in the meantime I'm having to use toilet facilities in a local shopping centre and take showers at work. Plus, of course, I can't prepare any food at home so I'm having to eat out. If this drags on I will have to arrange to stay with friends again. The managing agent is full of apologies but doesn't seem forthcoming with any further compensation and when I mention it just says she'll contact the landlord and get back to me. My question is... am I entitled to further compensation as the no water situation has extended beyond the initial agreed period? If so, what level of compensation should I be seeking? Just a rebate on the rent, or perhaps a little more for inconvenience? Surely I shouldn't have to be paying rent on a flat that is essentially not habitable? Any input would be gratefully received. Ben

Hi Everyone I need some advice please since I have been out of work now for 2 1/2 years and can only get JSA for a single person, I don't have any savings and water bill was and is still behind, in March 2010 Severn Trent suggested I contact the trust fund, I did and was with the trust fund from May 2010, I had to pay £5 a week for 39 weeks, I was doing so up until around December 2010, I had paid 26 weeks, they had paid the same to my account, they check every 13 weeks, when they checked in March 2011, they saw I had not paid the final 13 weeks, so cancelled the rest of the grant, a friend did me a letter requesting to see if they could help, i I tried for a crisis loan or something, but they said no, everything went up in December 2010, food and everything, my electric is a key meter at present with eon, but british gas are soon going to supply the electric with the gas, which is also a prepayment meter, so after the trust fund refused anymore help, I sent a letter to severn trent, in April severn trent replied and updated the records, The trust fund suggested I contact severn trent to make a new arrangement, I did so early May 2011, I told them it was obvious I could no longer afford the £5 a week, so could they come to some sort of new payment arrangement, a reply came a week later, they said £5 a week was the minimum they could arrange, and they would be making an applicaion for water direct and if successful would be deducted from my benefit each week, I made enquiries in the mentime at the job centre to find out how much they would stop, I was told £3.40 to cover any arrears plus a consumption allowance on top, a friend a mine had this stopped from his benefit for water, and he had to pay £8.50 a week from his benefit, the benefit for a single person at present is £135 every 2 weeks not £500 a month like this Government keep saying, so you take away £17 each time for water then around £45- £50 for electric it does not leave much for shopping, all my creditors are getting £1 per month from debts I had when I was working for 9 years previous to being unemployed, I usualy spend around £30- £35 on shopping but remember this has to last me 2 weeks, I don't smoke or drink and can't go out because I can't afford to, every letter sent for a job is either not successful or you don't get a reply, even after an interview most of the time you hear nothing else, so as time went by I had not thought no more about the water until I was going through my paperwork just after christmas and filing it, when I realised I had not heard anything from severn trent or the job centre regarding the water, I asked my advisor in January this year, all he said was nothing had ben set up and to ring them, to ring them cost a lot of money, money I don't have, because like all phone numbers these days they are 0845 numbers which cost a fortune o phone, the other day a telemessage came severn trent had at sometime had a system issue so no bills or reminders or anything had been sent out, so this must have been since last May, now they are wanting a figure for the back payment Immediately, then another figure by April and the same in October, or I can pay the full bill in one lump, there is no way I can pay any of the figures they mention, I now do not no which way to turn, they have been having a computer problem by the sounds of it, but if they had accepted maybe £3 a week when I asked for their help, i might not have had this problem now, I am now depressed, and I suffer from Osteoarthritis, I think it might the disability and my age of 54 which is stopping me getting a job, even though it is against the law to discriminate anyone nowadays, I understand about Equality and Diversity as we covered the subject on the College course I did last March - June and got City & Guilds Certificates, but to me it seems like it only applies to some and not all, so any help what to do here would be helpful, you cant see the C.A.B. without an appointment and you can't make an appointment as they have no e-mail and never answer the phone, so please help if you can Thanks Keith

Hi, I've been issued with a valid s21, the letting agent has now sent a follow up letter which states that any deposit will not be returned until I have proof I have paid the water bill up to date. Obviously I will inform water company of reading on checkout day, (and of course pay when a bill is calculated) but I feel it is wrong for letting agent to withhold deposit until I provide proof bill is paid. This could take many weeks! Is this standard? It doesn't specify this in my tenancy, this is the first I've heard of it. Of course I'll pay outstanding utilities, but I'm sure the water company won't send somebody to read my meter when I request, nor will they produce a bill immediately. Any ideas? Thanks Me_too

Hello and good morning, gather around and hear my tale of woe. Perhaps you may be able to provide me with some information which may make things a tad easier for me! Background: I moved into a house in May 2012 in Yorkshire. I was renting from Reeds Rain. Everything was absolutely splendid. Paid all my bills on time and was never an issue to anybody. When I left the property in 2013 (May), I advised Reeds Rain and ran through their check-list for leaving. (Ended up getting £500 from Spark Energy due to having been over-billed for the ENTIRE YEAR!). I was lead to believe that simply cancelling my direct debits would be fine, since Reeds would take over the account ownerships again as they'd be the home-owners until a new tenant moved in. On the same day I moved out of the property, I moved abroad until March 2014. While jobseeking, a company who did a check on me advised me that I had a default on my credit rating, and they wanted to know why. "What? I have NO Idea what that is." Was my genuine reply. But you, the reader can probably tell where this is going due to the title... I call Yorkshire Water and ask them about it. They tell me that since I never told them that I had left the property and simply cancelled the direct debit, I owed them money. We confirmed the date I left and they updated their systems and it was then a case that they owed ME money. (A token amount of about £7). I asked at this point if they'd remove the default, and they confused me and confirmed it'll be okay, they'd mark it as satisfactory. After having spoken to Credit Expert, I realise this is completely different to actually removing the default. This is when I kicked off! (Politely of course!) For the sake of simplicity, I will add in my letter to them, and their response. Good evening, My name is ... and I used to reside at ... in York. I rented the property for the period of one year from May '12 to May '13. When I entered the property, my details were provided to Yorkshire Water by my estate agent, Reeds Rain. I paid my bills every month by Direct Debit and never once had a late payment, or missed payment. Upon leaving the property, I was told that Reeds Rain would be contacting Yorkshire Water to take over the account again since it would be in their ownership. On the SAME day I left the property, I left the country and went to ... for ten months. Until March 2014 when I returned to the UK. While applying for work, I was informed that a credit-check on me had brought up a default against my name and if I could explain it. I was BAFFLED. Nobody had tried to call me or write to me at my new address. Nor was I emailed or had ANY SINGLE TYPE of correspondence made at all. I contacted Yorkshire Water and it was discussed as to when I left the property and it was discovered that in fact, they owed me money which they would arrange to pay back to me ASAP. Even with this though, they insist on only marking the default as settled instead of removing it, because it was accurate at the time of being put in place. My argument is this: It was not valid at the time it was put in place, as no attempt to discuss with me was made. They had multiple avenues to explore to contact me. (Reeds Rain being a primary contact point for information perhaps? Or to call my number or email me with the information provided by Reeds Rain. Or contacting me while I was at the property to confirm they had updated information on me) Second, the fact that with updated information, I have *NEVER* owed them money, therefore I have never defaulted on a missed payment. This means that the default, although they may have believed it to be correct at the time, is COMPLETELY wrong. It should be removed as it was added in error. The example I gave is thus: A man is arrested for murder and put behind bars for a year. It's then discovered he's completely innocent. The police do NOT keep a record on this person saying he's a murderer! This is a stain on my financial record that I've worked really hard to keep in good standing, and although it's being marked as "settled", it's still implying that at one point, I was in the wrong. Please help me as soon as you can, as this may affect my current job. Kind regards and thank you for your time, Their reply: Thank you for your emails received on 28 & 29 May 2014. I’m sorry you’ve had to go to the trouble of contacting us about the Default on your credit file and that you’re unhappy with the way your account has been handled. Whilst I fully appreciate that you left the country on 9 May 2013, we weren’t made aware of this until you called us on 27 May 2014. I understand that you had a private agreement with Reed Rains for them to close your account; unfortunately they didn’t let us know that you’d moved home. Due to the volume of customers we have, it’s not possible for us to contact them all by telephone and we didn’t hold your email address until your recent call. The onus is on the customer to make sure that they let us know of a change of address. Just to let you know your account was initially closed in August 2013 when mail was returned undelivered. We then passed your account to a debt collection agency so that they could trace you. As we were not made aware of the date that you left the property and as payments were not received, the Notice of Intention to file a Default was sent to the last known address that we had on record. Experian rules state that if a customer hasn’t made us aware of their new address, the letter can only be sent to the last known address. Although your account has now been amended and a refund given, I’m unable to remove the Default from your credit file as it was correctly registered at the time, based on the information that was provided to us. It’s important the information we share is accurate. Please be assured it’s not our intention to put a stain upon your character and I hope it doesn’t affect your future employment opportunities. As my colleague advised you in our previous email, your credit file will be updated within 28 days to show that the Default has been satisfied. I’m pleased to let you know I’ve also sent you hard copies of both emails to the address that you provided. I realise that this is not the response you were hoping and I’m sorry if my reply has disappointed you. Please be assured that your correspondence has been through our complaints process and has been fully reviewed. This means that if you contact us again about this the outcome will be the same. I've forwarded this onto the ICO since I do not feel that Yorkshire Water are keeping to the Data Protection Act 1998 (Part 4 - Accurate and Up-to-Date) Would anybody be able to confirm if I'm doing the right/wrong thing? Or if there's anything I can/should do differently? Thank you for your time reading this, I know it's a biggy. Kind regards.

On Friday I received a threatening letter from Advantis regarding an unpaid water bill. 1. The bill was for the flat I left over 18 months ago. 2. The flat has been empty since then. 3. I was up to date when I moved (was moved, sheltered housing) and Thames water were informed. 4. My current water charges are paid for in the rent and so I don't have an account with Thames or any other company. I contacted Thames water and explained this and told them I had no intention of paying this and why. They told me to get the housing association to contact them with details of the payments. This I have done. I thought I would have a bit of fun with Advantis so I called them on a number they dont want you to know and flatly refused to answer their damn fool security questions. This got them going and when I told them I was not going to pay them and would see them in court they really lost the plot. The language was about right for a navvy. You can guess what it was like when I told them to prove that I owed them anything. (rubs hands and gives an evil chuckle) Great just what I wanted so I called them back and started their complaints procedure. I also filed complaints with the FSA, Trading standards and the financial ombudsman. I will let you know what happens if anyone is interested.

Hi, I'm sure I am going to be advised to "accept it and move on" but I checked my latest online bill yesterday and it was just under £100 instead of the normal £43 for 2 Galaxy S handsets on 600 minutes each. Anyway, I checked the bill and found one call had cost £44.66 plus VAT (£53.59). It was for a call lasting 2 hours 33 minutes to an 0843 number. I avoid calling 0843, 0844 or 0871 numbers from landlines let alone mobiles, but do get calls from them and I must have accidentally done something that activated a call to this number - but 153 minutes? So I dialed the number from my office phone to receive recorded advise on how to reclaim bank charges which gave me several options to choose on how to proceed. I stayed on the line for 2 minutes without pressing anything but complete silence. Surely a call would time out after a few minutes silence? If not why stop after 153 minutes - the call finished at 6pm and no calls were made or received until 9am the following morning? Do you think they would they consider cancelling or reducing the charge for this call? I know should block calls to premium numbers as I have done with International ones (stored that I text) and I do accept that I pushed the button, my handset confirms this, but I wanted to check how providers, in this case Vodafone normally deal with charges like this. I don't want to be fobbed off, if someone has had a positive experience in a similar situation. Thanks for any ideas.

Hi after some advice, In sep i received a letter from Moorcroft re an address i left in 2004, they are chasing an Anglian Water bill (i originally thought it had been paid when i left), however in 2006 i got a letter and a copy of the bill from another Debt collector and realising my mistake i made a few payments towards the outstanding amount then things changed and i was short of cash so missed the payments and eventually forgot all about it. Now in sep 08 Moorcroft sent a letter for the original amount, so i sent a letter explaining i had no idea what the debt was etc, now they have just written back with the dates of the outstanding bill ending in Oct 04 and no mention of the payments made already. now i left the property in july 04 so a few months before they are claiming (i am in rented property so have my new tennancy ag from july 04 as proof, and my old tennancy ag at the flat in question ended in july 04) In their letter they also state Anglian are unable to provide a copy of the bill due to the age of the account. Now i am not prepared to pay: A: For the 10 weeks or so after i moved out B: If they cannot provide a bill c: For money i have already paid them in the past through another collector. Would it be in my best interest to ignore the letter and see what happens, or send another letter explaining my reasons for not paying, for eg, cant supply a bill how can they prove any debt actually exists? Thanks for your help Sytra

This is really annoying. In my shared house, my flatmate who was managing the water bill was paying methodically every month, but it seems that one month he did not see the letter and didn't pay one bill, (79 pounds). Well, yesterday, he opened one letter from Yorkshire Water saying that they would take us to court unless we paid £733 plus the bill not paid. He really messed it up, and it's going to be a huge problem for us. I'm spanish, so I'm not really aware of procedures here in England. What can we do now? Is there an option to not to pay that exaggerated penalty? Thanks...

Just been served court papers (via Northampton's court bulk centre) for an outstanding debt to Anglian Water. AW have added £50 solicitor's/£15 court fee. The court fee I can understand, but the £50 sol fee is a bit much. Can I contest the sol fee?

Hi chaps, need a little assistance for a mate. I know there is a code of practice for gas and electric companies as regards accurate billing and back billing, but is there a similar thing for water rates? And, if so, can anyone post me a link please? If not, then I'll be back with yet another tale of woe! Thanks in advance.

Advice please needed. I have an ongoing problem with Anglian i haven't paid a bill in 6 years, i moved to a new build, sent in appropriate details of change of address and heard nothing. A few years later on i received a bill address to Highfield rd, i'm Highfield place, passed letter on to correct addresse and found out that they'd been putting my bills in the bin( didn't know my address existed). I contacted Anglian by phone and email explaining this and was told someone would call me back, they never did. Bills stopped then suddenly started getting bills for Highfield rd again. Got fed up by this point, so when they finally sorted it out i have now a bill of £2008.64. Which i cannot afford to pay. I will be calling them again but wanted to see where i stand with this, could i get it reduced for their inability to get my address correct, offer a small amount to pay on the arrears as will have to start paying for normal usage. Any advice appreciated

Desperate for advice This is somewhat complex but THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR READING. Please advise as this making me so unwell. I rent a flat which is owned privately, it is managed on behalf of the owner by an agent. The flat is 2 bed and is in a multi complex unit managed by a temporary debt recovery firm. My tenancy commenced 2009. I was advised and have proof that I was going to be linked by the agent, to all utility companies. This was successful with Gas and Electricity but I soon learned that water was indeed privatised and known as resale. I did not agree to this and my concern was supported when bills were finally issued. I took dispute with the billing procedure as it had no consistency – often 8-10 months between invoices and they were not itemised in terms of meter readings or unit costs or how the breakdown in costs were achieved. I have a water metre which is located outside of the flat, the key to which I was told only last year is my front door key. I contacted the previous management of the complex and there began my ongoing dispute. I will make clear that until 2012 I paid all bills for which I have receipts. In June 2012 the new management company took over due to the bankruptcy of the previous owner and through my diligence in pursuing lawful billing, I became aware that the previous company left owing SW water £10,000.00 in debt. I later learnt that the bank to which I paid my bills was the private account of the then owner. I accept that this does not affect me in that the debt was written off by SW Water but I stated in an email to the new company that I wanted, as I had been mid dispute, to have all future bills detail when readings were taken, how the charges are met, unit costs/any administration costs etc. I have emails evidencing all the above. On January 25th 2013 an invoice was finally sent to the owner of the property, this was sent then to the letting agent who finally forwarded it to me in March. I must make clear at this point that bill is in the name of the flat’s owner but of course under tenancy agreement I am responsible. The invoice was dated for the period of 19/06/2012 – 28/12/2012. The balance due as stated on the invoice was for £346.88p. No meter readings as requested, no breakdown in costs, nothing but a sum total. I paid the management company of the complex as the bill was issued by them and it was them with whom I had raised my concerns, as providers. I set up an arrangement to pay instalments of £65 per month as of April and paid x 3 instalments plus 1 ad hoc payment of £35.96p in total £577.84p. Meanwhile I pursued with my request – itemised bills. The management company of the complex clearly became frustrated with this as they contacted me end of July 2013 to say that they were returning the full payment and that they would not correspond with me further as I am not the owner of the property. They emailed this with written confirmation that until this date my bill was £577.84 they refunded the amount in full. I contacted the letting agent who until that time remained uninterested and obstructive – ‘You’re the tenant just pay’. I advised them that I could not make payment to the complex and that I would pay the letting agent which was agreed but I maintained that I wanted lawful billing asking – would you pay any sum placed before you not knowing how that sum was achieved? Many emails exchanged which have been incredibly stressful, I am currently on S/L due to depression and it has taken me a week or more to face this next stage. I’m exhausted. The letting agency were finally in receipt of breakdown in costs, in January 2014 I receive my first itemised bill £1449.49 the breakdown in costs runs into difficulty when the reading for the period of 19/06/2012 – 18/12/2012 (some 10 days difference to original) £97.28p more? Interesting though to note that they go on to state in emails between the letting agent and the management of the complex (email I believe linked to me in error) that my overall bill for Water and Sewerage would have been £2,403.87 since 2009 how do they reach this figure without record of accounts (which they say in email they do not hold) and if it is for the period of the commencement of tenancy, that would mean an average yearly bill of £480.6p which falls in line with the average yearly bill for South West Water and Sewerage usage based on a household that is metered as quoted by OFWAT and the water consumer counsel. I would accept this. So how do they suggest that since June 2012 - June 2013 I owe £1074.61 twice above the average yearly use? I believe my bills to be excessive – they average £95 per month? I ask this but the representative at the letting agency sits in as judge and jury and vets my concerns asking ‘more proof more evidence’ He bullies and belittles me, he sends emails that frustrate me as I am unable to communicate with any other person – It appears he has made this personal now asking that I pay £140 to credit check my daughter who has been living at the property since the start of tenancy – they knew this. I have 14 days to comply. The current situation is I am stating to my letting agent that as I have evidence that until July 2013 my bill was paid in total, I will await an invoice from that period to present day. ‘NO’. I stated that I had met my contractual obligation and cannot be responsible for the management complex now saying that they made a ‘clerical error’ and that I am to pay the sum in total with immediate effect. I have paid the £577.68 and am currently told by the letting agency agent that he will not forward my concerns. The letting agent states that I do not have a case, he is the manager of finance and in my opinion not in a position to judge what is communicated or not to the providers. I understand this is a bit complex and I have tried my best to explain it but as I said I am currently unwell and this only serves to cause me great distress – I have a folder of emails proving the inconsistency of figures. Finally, I have been to CAB they advise civil case, I had an appointment with a solicitor who advised that it may not be cost effective to have legal advice due to costs. I am a single parent, working but lone responsibility for all outgoings. Many thanks for your time if you have read this, feels somewhat reassuring as I already feel less alone.

Silly question really. But has anyone ever received their water/sewerage bill which has shown a reduction on the previous year ? Why do these water companies believe they can increase the bill above the rate of inflation, when I expect that their costs of operation have not increased. It is not as if, they will be giving their staff a decent pay rise. In most areas of the country you are stuck with one company. You cannot shop around. The government should be looking into the water industry and doing what they can to ensure that no excess profits are being made. It was silly to privatise the water industry in the first place, as most are now foreign owned.

Hi there. Writing this on behalf of a friend who is experiencing problems with her letting agents (who operate on behalf of private landlord). Basically has not had hot water for 3 months since she reported it in November 2013. She does however get hot water from the shower. She was finally able to get hot water today but because the water tank is so small she had to heat it twice as she wanted to run a bath. (not enough hot water for the bath) She asked her letting agents if she was due any compensation for being without hot water for such a long time despite her phoning them about it multiple times. She was told that she had hot water via the shower so no compensation is due. Is this true? (Shes based in Scotland if this makes any difference) Another thing the letting agents do is let workmen etc into my friend's flat without letting her know....i thought that they had to give notice of this? thanks for any help

Hi Im not sure if this is the correct place for this but couldn't find anywhere else to put it. We are currently £240 in arrears with Anglian Water, however i got my new bill and on this is states that i have until the 2 April to pay £336 which will be the arrears plus the first half of the years payment. I have set up a DD for this and i thought all was fine. I came home from work yesterday to a postcard that had been left in my letterbox, stating that someone called Denholm had come regarding Anglian Water account and that i was to phone a mobile number to sort payment out. What i am really angry about is the fact that this person has also handwritten my account number on the card and the amount i am in arrears and the amount of my full years bill, there was no need for him to write any of this on the card and indeed there was only spaces available for him to put his name and number. He did NOT put this in a sealed envelope addressed to the occupier, but left it half in and half out of the postbox, i have written a complaint to Anglian water. My question is "is this allowed"? Is this breaching the Data Protection Act, do i have a leg to stand on if i make a formal complaint? As i say it was purely a calling card and i don't believe he should have handwritten my details all over the card, but i would like to know if i am correct in this before i go any further with it. Many thanks for any help you can give.

My 20 year old daughters car overheated today (Peugeot 106 . 1998 ). She stopped the car, and rang me (2 very good moves). I told her to let the car cool down, and to top up the water in the radiator expansion tank. I explained where this was , and she said " Yes I can see it". She has filled (roughly 50ml ) steering fluid reservior with water Can anyone please explain to me how to get it out.? F16

Pls i'm in need of urgent help with a bryan carter litigations proceeding on behalf of thames water( £853.). Received a claim form from Northampton(CCBC) dated 16/10/2013 but received 21/10/2013. I am a novice at this sort of things. I initially called BC to try and arrange a kind of repayment plan but they are bullying me into making a monthly payment plan I can not afford. don't know if that was a good idea. Now stumbled on this forum . The particulars of claim says " Pursuant to section 142 and 143 of the water industry act 1991 The claimant claims 853. being part of a debt due for water service charges under acc no ..... .for the period 01/09/2011 to 01/04/2012 . Pls what can I do as i do not want a CCJ and don't like the idea of going to court and also I am really running out of time .