Customers blame new meters for water bill hikes

Customers in Cornwall have called into questioned the accuracy of their water bills after seeing a sudden rise in usage since having new smart meters installed.

South West Water (SWW) has been rolling out the devices which show people how much water they are using and encourage them to conserve water.

However, some people complained their usage has inexplicably shot up - leaving them having to pay hundreds of pounds extra on their bills.

SWW said it was working with customers who had questions about their meter readings but it was confident in their accuracy and said there was no evidence of a wider issue.

Melissa Mead, from Probus, said her usage over three months nearly doubled after having one of the new meters installed in January and she did not understand the jump.

"I immediately thought I've a leak but then I realised that it was from the very date that the new meter was installed," she said.

She said no leak was found and believed the new meter was faulty because, after asking for it to be temporarily replaced, her consumption levels had now returned to normal.

"It's just been an absolute nightmare and I don't want to have to be going through this. I just want to be able to pay for what I'm using," she said.

She said she believed thousands of people had experienced the same and set up a Facebook group to support others.

"I very quickly realised this is a systemic problem," she said.

"There are a lot of elderly people, people that are quite vulnerable that can't advocate for themselves.

"I'd like to ask where the due diligence was in their testing of that meter and how many people they piloted it on?"

Alannah Butler, from Camborne, said since her new meter was installed earlier this year her last two bills had doubled to about £400.

"It's definitely not reflective of our household or the usage we actually incur," she said.

"They're saying we're using over 600 litres (132 gallons) a day, which is the equivalent of about eight bath tubs. It's just not possible."

She said two tests to check for a leak had come back negative and SWW customer services had described her readings as "being off the scale".

She is now waiting for a technician from SWW to check her meter: "The financial impact is massive - I'm a single mum, I work full time [and] I don't know how I'm going to afford to pay these bills."

The Consumer Council for Water, an independent body which resolves disputes between customers and companies, said anyone who notices a sudden spike in their bill and usage rate should contact their supplier as soon as possible.

It said increases after a meter change could sometimes be down to the old one failing, previous bills using estimated readings that were too low, or a leak.

It added customers could use the meter calculator on its website to help give a rough estimate on how much they should be using.

South West Water said all its meters were tested prior to leaving the factory and it had been using the devices since 2014 - as had other water companies.

A spokesperson added: "We know some customers have questions about their meter readings and we're looking into every case that's brought to us.

"Our water meters are widely used across the region and we're confident in their accuracy, with no evidence of a wider issue.

"If anyone is concerned about their usage or bill, we're here to help and will work with them to understand and provide support."

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