soak away

colleseo60

hi just joined so bare with me question soak aways.I get a discount but only after I found out about it recently so for ten years I paid for something I never used ,Anglian water (daylight robbery).Surely they know what houses have soak aways.
cheers

matelodave

I think the assumption is that all the water goes into the sewers unless you or the builder tell them otherwise

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

The Water Privatisation Act laid down that ALL properties would pay for Surface Water Drainage(SWD) and it would be up to the occupants to claim relief.

With some 20 million properties in England and Wales it wouldn't be feasible to inspect them all.

It is also the Regulator(Ofwat) that lays down the policy of rebates. Until recently that policy was that the backdating would only be to 01 April of the financial year that the claim was made. However recently this policy has changed and they now say the rebate can(not must) be backdated 6 years - where the company might have reasonably known that no surface water entered the sewerage system. They don't define how a company might have 'reasonably known'.

It is also pertinent to point out that SWD is not just water from gutters going to soakaways. If any water runs off your garden or drive and onto a road - and then to the sewerage system - you cannot claim relief. This is particularly a problem in urban areas where front gardens are paved/concreted and used for car parking.

The whole system of SWD charges is a disgrace - for instance all occupants of a 20 storey block of flats pay the same charge(if no soakaway) - although there is only one roof!

Lastly it isn't any kind of robbery by the Water companies when they charge for SWD as it doesn't affect their profits in any way at all.

The company's revenue - and hence profit - is fixed by the Regulator. If the lose say £1million pa from SWD charges they are allowed to increase other charges by the same £1million so their revenue stays the same.

As said above a stupid system; but blame Maggie, not the water companies; they are just obeying the law. There are plenty of valid criticisms of the water companies; but SWD charges isn't one of them.