Charges should broadly relate to the costs of providing the service. So, whether or not you have a meter, your bill should cover the cost of supplying you with clean water, getting rid of your dirty water, and draining water from around your home. The water companies are investing over 8 million a day, every day, to improve drinking water and to protect the environment in England and Wales. We check how the companies perform to make sure that you get value for money. We expect companies to improve their services by being more efficient, not just by putting up their prices.
Companies have targets to reduce the amount of water that is lost through leaks from their networks.
We check that they are also encouraging customers to use water wisely. All companies now offer a free supply-pipe repair service. 3 Protecting customers We approve companies' codes of practice and provide guidelines to help them deliver a better service to customers. We also check that companies meet their responsibilities to customers, such as reducing the number of properties at risk of being flooded with sewage. Each year, we publish information about how companies perform, and we take action against companies if we spot any problems.