Customers boycott water bills in protest over ‘shocking’ sewage pollution

People across England are refusing to pay their wastewater bills and demanding water companies “stop billing” households for removing their sewage as they are “not treating it”.

Angler Matt Marlow, from Stockport, Greater Manchester. said he stopped paying his water bill entirely to United Utilities about six months ago because the water company is “trying to charge me for something I’m not getting”.

It comes after mounting public outrage over the amount of sewage being poured into UK rivers. Last month water companies issued an apology statement which was branded as “pathetic” by sewage campaigners as the companies proceeded to confirm a £10 billion investment plan to upgrade sewer networks would be paid through customers’ bills.

Just last week a freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that England’s storm overflows taskforce only met once in the last year.

Mr Marlow said he will not pay to fund the £10 billion investment plan, calling it “shocking”. He said: “I will never pay towards this because they’ve already had the money.

“It’s offshore in foreign bank accounts and they’re all rubbing their hands together while we’re swimming in s***.”

Mr Marlow told PA news agency he is considering setting up a standing order of £1 “for their shareholders” to show “that I’m not refusing to pay the bill, I’m just withholding payments until I’m happy with what they’re telling me.”

He added: “Stop billing me for removing sewage and water from my house when you’re not treating it. You’re trying to charge me for something I’m not getting and I will not pay that until you stop polluting the rivers.”

Mr Marlow said United Utilities tried sending him £75 after he complained about sewage discharges, which he described as “hush money”.

United Utilities said the £75 compensation was not linked to his complaint but a delay in responding to him.

Customers of Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water have also said they are refusing to pay their wastewater bills while those living on the south coast have created a website called boycottwaterbills.com for people who want to join in on the price and learn more information.

Katy Colley, who helped set up the website, said: “We’re not an organisation, we’re not advocating anything. We’re just saying that if you’re thinking about it, here’s some advice.”

One woman, a lawyer from the South West who did not want to be named, said she decided to withhold her water bill payment in March after seeing the chief executive of South West Water receive hundreds of thousands of pounds while teenagers were getting sick from wild swimming.

She said: “I swim in the rivers near me, so I looked at all of the pollution figures for those areas and the more information you get, the angrier it makes you feel, unfortunately.”

She said that she always sees teenagers getting sick after they have been swimming and “it’s almost accepted”.

South West Water said it does not comment on individual customers but that they are free to contact the company for discussion while Yorkshire Water said it has no records of customers refusing to pay bills.

Pennon Group, which owns South West Water, said it will invest £750 million over the next two years in building reservoirs, reducing storm overflows and increasing renewable energy use.

Katy Taylor, Southern Water’s chief customer officer, said the water firm is investing £2 billion over five years to “reduce the use of storm overflows, increase storage capacity and find ways to divert rain back to the environment naturally.”