Thames Water has warned nearly 15,000 people who have been using water without paying for it that they could face six years worth of back charges if they do not come forward before 3 March.
The UK’s biggest water supplier has been checking around two million addresses across the Thames Valley region and London as part of an audit. It has found a number of properties that haven’t received a water bill for years.
The company, which supplies water to three million homes, says the problem has arisen as older properties have been divided up into flats and bedsits over the years and nobody has informed it of the changes. Larger properties that have been split into multiple residences have only been receiving one water bill as a consequence.
Water accounts are also not registered when developers of new properties fail to notify the water supplier of connection to the network.
The amnesty, which was launched on 20 January, has so far resulted in 1,297 customers out of a possible 14,787 coming forward. Those that come forward voluntarily will have any back charges to date written off and a new account set up.
The average Thames Water bill currently stands at £303 a year which means that anybody that chooses to keep quiet about their free water supply and is subsequently discovered could face a bill of nearly £2,000.
Mike Tempest, customer services director at Thames Water, said: “People confirmed as unbilled customers who do not take advantage of our amnesty could be in for a nasty shock – six years of water bills in one go,
“There is just over a week to go for people who use water but don’t receive bills to come forward and avoid hefty back-charges. People who call our amnesty line have nothing to worry about. If we confirm them as unbilled, any back-charges will be waived provided they agree to pay from now on, which is great news for them.
“We are carrying out this investigation – the audit together with the amnesty – because we want all our customers’ bills to be as fair as possible.”
The industry regulator Ofwat has said that it backs companies using “innovative ways” to make sure that customers pay for services.
Simon Evans, a spokesman for Thames Water speaking at the launch of the amnesty, said: “Potentially we can go back six years. Our average charge is £300 a year, making us the lowest in the sector, but if you get six lots of bills in one go, it’s not very pleasant.”
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