Thousands of individuals in the UK are poised to receive a compensation payout of £200 following a significant disruption to their water supply in recent days.
Residents in Devon, Plymouth, Tavistock, and Torquay encountered a major water outage over the weekend, with approximately 13,000 properties in the affected areas losing access to water starting from Sunday. South West Water (SWW), the supplier, confirmed that the outage occurred due to a significant burst in a water main.
The water provider announced today that it has successfully restored water supply across west Devon, indicating that all parts of its water network are now fully operational.
In a statement issued, the company mentioned, “It may take some time for water to circulate throughout the network due to topographical factors and increasing demand, but we are diligently monitoring our systems and can verify that water is flowing smoothly across the network.”
The company also advised that customers might experience some water discoloration as the service resumes, which can be resolved by running the cold kitchen tap. A spokesperson for SWW expressed, “We are happy to report that customers should now have their water supply reinstated. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and extend our gratitude to all customers for their patience and support to our teams distributing bottled water.”
Households affected by the water disruption are set to receive a compensation payment of £200, as confirmed on Tuesday by South West Water. The company outlined that impacted domestic customers will receive a guaranteed £50 for every 12-hour period without service and an additional £50 for each subsequent 12-hour period, surpassing the current statutory compensation rates.
For business customers, South West Water announced compensation of £100 for every 12 hours without service and a further £100 for each subsequent 12-hour period.
South West Water emphasized its commitment to fair compensation, describing the payments as a goodwill gesture to offset the inconvenience caused by the disruption.
Labour MP Fred Thomas for Plymouth Moor View indicated that South West Water informed him that household customers could expect up to £250 in compensation, while businesses are set to receive a £400 payout. The MP pressed SWW for action during the outage, labeling the situation as “unacceptable.”
Additionally, businesses can apply for compensation for any additional loss of service, with further details on this process to be provided in due course.