Janice Deas doesn’t drink tap water but loves a cup of tea and limits herself to using enough water for four a day.
Since her husband Brian died three years ago, Janice has lived alone in their four-bedroom house, only showering four times a week (baths are banned), uses the washing machine twice a week and flushes the loo just three times daily.
Although a keen gardener, she has a self-imposed hosepipe ban and uses ‘grey’ water from her washing-up.
The 80-year-old widow from Great Bourton in Oxfordshire has devised this strict regime not because she is eco-friendly but as a result of ‘terrifying’ increases to her water bills.
For despite cutting back on her water use, the retired NHS administrator has seen her bills rise by as much as 170 per cent since October. She now pays £492 a year, up from just over £180, and fears her bills could rise further.
‘I like gardening but I daren’t use a hosepipe in the garden,’ she says. ‘Instead, I water my favourite plants – geranium, hydrangea, rose and hosta – using water I save when washing the dishes. I’m afraid to use the dishwasher.’
Waste not: Janice gives her flowers a drink of washing-up water. But despite her efforts to save water, she has seen her bills rise by as much as 170% since October
Before her water bill soared, her flower beds would bloom with an explosion of colour from when she used a hosepipe.
She would also delight in inviting friends and neighbours round for tea but now is not as sociable and, if she does see a friend, cuts back on consumption – but not for her guests.
Water bills rose across England and Wales in April, with households seeing a typical hike of 26 per cent – up by £123 to £603 a year.
The 15 million customers served by Thames Water saw even bigger increases as bills rose by 31 per cent to £639 a year on average, according to trade association Water UK.
But some water customers – such as Janice – have seen even larger rises.
Her bills rose from £15 to £26-a-month in October and again to £41-a-month in April.
That is because your water supplier can increase your bills if it thinks you are consuming more than previously.
Furthermore, water bills are made up of several costs, including for sewerage.
Suppliers distribute these additional costs differently among households.
A water meter measures the volume of water passing through a pipe to a property with an impeller inside the pipe that spins round as the water flows through – providing a meter reading on a dial showing water flow in cubic metres. So the more water you use – the higher the charges.
Janice’s fears that her bill could increase further as Thames Water has been given permission by the regulator Ofwat to increase bills by 35 per cent plus inflation by 2030 – including the April rises.
Thames Water maintains that Janice’s bills are correct and that when she was paying £15-a-month ‘she used more water than this payment covered’ so it put up her bills to £26-a-month in October.
It claims that the further increases in April were in line with its billing changes and that her usage did not reflect a leak.
However, Janice claims she is being billed for vastly more water than she uses. ‘The latest bill says I use 25 cubic metres of water over six months – stating this is enough water for 100,000 cups of tea or 333 showers.
‘What utter nonsense. I have never used less water in my life.’
This is a far cry from when Janice and her husband Brian would enjoy the freedom of washing whenever they wished without worrying about turning on the dishwasher or washing machine, or being constantly anxious about the size of the next water bill landing on the doormat
Janice has tried to read her water meter to check it tallies with the figures she is being billed for, but it is installed in the street.
‘I have to get down on my hands and knees in a busy area to read it and there are lots of passing cars,’ she says. ‘I tried to do it when I received my latest bill, but the hole where the meter sits was full of water, and I could not read it. I rang up and they just said that this is often a problem.’
Hikes: Thames Water’s 15 million customers saw their bills rise by 31% in April to £639 a year on average, according to trade association Water UK
If you do not have a water meter, you will be charged a fixed sum every month rather than one based on your consumption.
It is harder to contest this number because it is based on the rateable value of your home, rather than how much water is being consumed on a meter that might not be correctly checked or is potentially faulty.
However, if you have a water meter you can use a calculator to estimate how much you use and compare this to your bills.
The Consumer Council for Water has a ‘water meter calculator’ on its website to help work out charges. It says a four-minute standard shower can use 24 litres of water while a bath uses 80 litres.
A washing machine can use 50 litres while a toilet flushes six litres down the pan, and a bowl of water for washing dishes might be eight litres.
Totting up her usage, Janice believes she uses 1.4 cubic metres every month – a third less than the Thames Water calculation
Janice says: ‘It is just me living frugally on my own – not a family or even a couple who might pay a similar-sized bill or less. I simply cannot understand how they come up with these figures?’
If you think your bill is inaccurate you should first contact your water supplier, which must respond within ten working days. If it doesn’t, it usually has to pay you a minimum of £20.
If you are not happy with the response escalate the complaint to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW). It will review your complaint and try to resolve it with the water company.
Andy White of the CCW says: ‘If the bill has not been calculated accurately we will take steps to ensure the water company puts things right.’
If you remain unsatisfied, next contact the regulator Ofwat and demand a further explanation. You can also contact Citizens Advice to ask if it might support you through this process.
Water UK says that anyone struggling to pay their bills should contact their water company to see how they might be able to help cut costs – as the utility giants offer social tariffs that can cut annual charges in half.
There is also a WaterSure scheme that caps bills to no more than the average metered charges in your area.
Those qualifying include homes where at least one person gets universal credit, pension credit, housing benefit, jobseeker’s allowance or income support.
So far Janice has not escalated her complaint further.
A spokesman for Thames Water says: ‘We have been in contact with the customer about her bill and changes made to reflect her usage in line with our current year’s pricing.
We have also explained the financial support we can offer to customers struggling with their bills, including reduced payment plans and direct debits.
‘We encourage any customer that is concerned about their ability to pay to reach out to us so that we can assess the right package of support for their circumstances.’
toby.walne@dailymail.co.uk
