Surface Water Drainage charge backdate - South West Water capitulates

devondiver

Further to my earlier thread - Surface water drainage refund claim dated 29/01/13 – I am pleased to report that after repeated denials and, faced with the prospect of arguing the case in court, South West Water have agreed my claim as per this extract from their latest email:

“Based upon the evidence that you have now provided I have discussed the situation with a Senior Manager, who has agreed that it is reasonable for us to assume that the company should have been aware that your property did not benefit from a Surface Water Drainage connection. Given this we have now applied a further adjustment to your account covering the period from 1 April 2001 when the lower tariff was introduced, up to 31 March 2011. You have already received an adjustment to your charges for the period from 1 April 2011 onward. The total additional adjustment granted is £322.81”.

The basis of my claim was exactly as given in my earlier thread. The “evidence” mentioned were copies of a builder’s site plan and a letter from builders to South West Water Authority discussing the surface water drainage arrangements both dated late 1970s and available from local authority planning records.

The ‘clincher’ in this case may have been the recent change in the wording of the OFWAT guidance (to “when a [water] company - might reasonably be expected to have known, that a property or properties were not connected to its sewerage system for surface water drainage”) the implications of which, I believe, are truly significant. All thanks to Cardew for having pointed this out to the forum some time ago.

My next step is to talk to SWW about a figure for interest and costs. And to consider how far-reaching are the implications of finally prizing open this watery can of worms.

Cardew

Well done!

As I stated in the other thread I thought that SWW would concede.

I personally wish that the matter had gone to court(and you won of course) as the resultant publicity might have triggered a lot more claims.

I wish Martin would take the matter of SWD up as a campaign - the situation is a mess and needs sorting.

For instance even if the roof/gutter water from a, say, 20 storey block(with 3 flats on each floor) does enter the sewerage system, to charge all 60 occupants the full rate of SWD is a disgrace.

devondiver

You are right of course. But publicity can be arranged, and a growing wave of claims will generate its own publicity.

Wishing won't make it so. Talk to him.

devondiver

For update see my original thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4549449

Cardew

devondiver wrote: »

For update see my original thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4549449

I think you mean this thread:


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4417421

devondiver

:j

Please see my other thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4417421

for the full update. (Thanks Cardew for the correction.)