Watch for charge coming to surface

You may well be. If you live in an older property (pre-1960?), have a look at your water bill.

If you are being charged for surface water drainage, it is quite possible you should not be paying this charge, as it applies only to properties where the surface water from your roof is being drained directly into the public sewers.

If, like me, you have a soak-away, you should not pay this charge. I contacted Southern Water and they agreed with me, and have taken off the £22. However, this applies only from now on, not retrospectively.

I asked why they applied the charge as a blanket charge, assuming everyone was connected to the sewers, but have not received any reply. Obviously they have the information or I would not have had the £22 rescinded. I also asked how long the charge has been applied, again no response.

They could easily have put a letter in with the water bill when they first applied the charge, to ask customers if it applied the them.

It does seem to me that they look after their shareholders’ interests more than their customers.

With the imminent fitting of water meters, every little saving helps, especially if you are on a pension.

Mike Rowe

Old Worthing Road

East Presto

A spokesman for Southern Water replied: Our wastewater standing charge always included an amount towards treating surface water. From April, 2000, onwards the government and Ofwat asked us, firstly, to show separately on our bills some of the areas of costs that we incur in providing the wastewater service.

Secondly, they asked us to introduce for domestic customers the ability to claim a rebate from the wastewater charges if surface water (rainwater run-off) from the property does not drain into a public sewer.

Ofwat recognised that this was a new requirement and that water companies do not hold information about the surface water drainage arrangements for individual properties.

At the time of privatisation in 1989, water and sewerage companies were sold with poorly-kept records of the water and sewerage infrastructures. The records did not show which properties were connected and which were not for surface water drainage purposes. It is therefore the customer’s responsibility to inform the water company if they do not receive the surface water drainage service.

Accordingly, it was agreed it was reasonable for a customer to claim the rebate, using a dedicated claim form, and show on this that the surface water from their property does not enter the public system.

That rebate has been set and approved by Ofwat at £22 for the current charging year, and this has been taken into account in setting the other elements of our wastewater service charges.

Information about the rebate has been freely available since its introduction. All our charges are explained at the back of all our annual bills where customers are advised to ring our dedicated phone line 0845 279 0845 if none of the rainwater from their property goes into the public sewer to claim a rebate. This information is also available on our website (www.southernwater.co.uk/DomesticCustomers/aboutYourBill/default.asp).

If a customer is unsure about his/her own property’s private drainage arrangements, information may be found in the property’s deeds/plans.