More massive increases for Littlehampton water users

About a dozen meter meter-using homes have seen their bills rocket up to nine times their usual rate in the last few months.

Six of those affected, as reported in last week's Littlehampton Gazette, live in Leeward Road, including one woman whose bill rose from the usual 100 to more than 800, though many more Southern Water customers have complained of the same problem.

Julie Connelly, of Bluebell Drive, said her bill had shot up from a

steady 70 a quarter to 269

"It was definitely a worry for us what to do with the bill, so I can imagine what more elderly residents must be going through," she said.

In Beaumont Park, Margaret Casey's quarterly bill went from 177 to 246, and Christine Fleming's also rose dramatically.

She said: "My volume charge for this time last year was 30 cubic metres and there was four of us in the house. This year it's 139 cubic metres and there are only two of us!That can't be right. I am, like many people, struggling with fuel bills, this just isn't fair."

Mrs Casey added that she had had a shock when she had opened the bill, but had been told by Southern Water that she would "just have to pay it".

"But how it can go up 150 per cent I just cannot understand."

In White Horses Way, Linda Saunders saw her monthly bill rise from 19 to more than 80.

A spokesman for Southern Water said that meter readings taken in the past had been "erroneously low", but that the matter was under investigation.

"Once our investigations are complete we shall contact each of those customers to apologise and see if we can help by offering payment options.

"Naturally we are sorry for the impact on our customers and, whilst the bills are only for water that has been used, we recognise the inconvenience caused by receipt of unexpected large bills."

When asked how many queries the company had received, he would only confirm "a handful".

"Our enquiries to date suggest that this is not a systematic problem. We have received a small number of complaints from residents, each of which we are dealing with on an individual basis.

"I wish to reiterate that where customers do have a problem in paying their outstanding bill we always encourage them to contact us to discuss a solution to their individual circumstances."

-----------------------------

Click here to return to Gazette news.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Gazette's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Gazette: [email protected]