Water supply from a local private company...

laneycakes

Hi.

We are in the process of buying a house but the water supply is a little odd. The clean water is supplied by a local company (we believe via a borehole on land nearby) and it supplies all the properties in the village as our regional supplier severn Trent don't yet have a main anywhere near by. Severn Trent do however deal with the sewage. It sounds like severn Trent charge approx £18 a month for sewage removal and the local company charge around the same for clean water supply. My query is two fold-does that sound like a fair price? And if something were to go belly up with the supply in the street I'm assuming that would be the companies responsibility? They aren't listed on the ofwat site-just a local ltd company so I'm not sure what "industry backup" there is if any. Thanks.

Cardew

Is the 'clean water' metered?

laneycakes

Nope - It appears to be a one off payment per year

EmmyLou30

In terms of price then yes, it's fair. Water supply is probably the same price if not cheaper for most people on 'normal' supplies. I certainly pay more to Wessex Water to take my water away than I do to Bristol Water to supply it to me!
If something were to contaminate the borehole or the company failed I imagine Severn Trent would step up and take over control of your supply. Water companies don't usually leave people without water - they even share water across boundaries between companies to ensure a reliable supply. There are many cases of small private supplies within water company areas, you're not alone, and the main water company has a responsibility to help.