People’s trust in water companies risks being irreversibly damaged unless consumers witness a sustained improvement in the sector’s care of rivers and the wider environment.

The warning comes from the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) as it publishes its annual Water Matters survey. It reveals an unprecedented decline in household customers’ satisfaction with water companies across a broad range of measures.

The survey has kept its finger on the pulse of water bill payers’ views for 13 years, making it one of the most comprehensive trackers of customers’ opinions across any utility.

Among the most significant falls this year has been customer satisfaction with sewerage services which slipped to an all-time low of 65% (down 14%) – driven by dissatisfaction with how companies clean and dispose of wastewater. Just half of households agreed their company cared about the service it provided – also down 14%. Only fractionally more (55%) felt what they were being charged for services was fair – falling 9% from last year to its lowest ever level.

Trust in water companies also reached its lowest level (6.37 out of 10) since the survey began. Every water company saw its trust score fall, with energy suppliers overtaking water for the first time as a more trusted utility across England and Wales.

Companies in the south east of England generally fared worse but the picture elsewhere – particularly on environmental matters – remained broadly negative.

The findings come just weeks before the regulator Ofwat publishes its draft determinations on what water companies in England and Wales can charge customers over the next five years and the investment and services they will be expected to deliver in return.

As the price review nears its conclusion, CCW says companies’ biggest challenge is convincing customers they can be trusted to protect the environment with just a third (33%) saying they were satisfied with the industry’s current efforts.

Read more