Disconnecting a Business Supply in Scotland 4 January 2017 at 6:04PM in Water bills 4 replies 2.9K views

djpaulboy

Hi there, I have recently moved into a council owned industrial unit that we are using purely for storage. I already have an office elsewhere with services so I don't require any water services here.

A day after my lease had started an English owned water supplier called my mobile number and told me I had to pay for water even though I had explained I don't require it. There is a meter in place and I would have assumed that if I doesn't turn then I don't pay, but it would appear this company want to bill me for having the water pipe coming into the property at around £160 a year plus vat and the same again for having a sewage pipe coming out of the property. When calculated it works out at £360 a year for something I'm not going to use!

I asked them to disconnect it and was told that it's illegal to disconnect it. I did some research and it turns out it can be disconnected but when I came back to them with this information they said it will be over £2000 to disconnect.

Does anyone on here have any information that would be useful to me? I contacted Scottish Water and they advised the licensed supplier can only arrange a disconnection. My next step is to contact the ombudsman in Scotland I think.

Many thanks, Paul :-)

Cardew

Contact the Consumer Council for Water http://www.ccwater.org.uk/

They are very good.

macman

Your asumption is wrong. If the metering and supply is in place then you would still have to pay standing charges, which is presumably what they are quoting you for. You could not have the supply removed without the freeholder's permission, which they are very unlikely to give unless you agree to reinstate it at your expense at end of lease.
Cardew: the OP is in Scotland, so the CCW would have no jurisdiction in this case.

Cardew

Thanks, they are a source of advice.

Business Customers
My Details
I live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Is there a consumer body that can help me if I have concerns about my water services?
Published 18/06/2012 10.58 AM !!|!!! Updated 29/06/2015 04.42 PM

The Consumer Council for Water's statutory remit is to represent water consumers in England and Wales.! Other bodies have been set up to help you if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Scotland
If you remain dissatisfied once you have completed Scottish Water's complaints procedure, contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).! The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about most organisations that provide public services in Scotland, including Scottish Water. Their service is independent, free and confidential.
Contact the SPSO for advice and request a complaint form on Freephone 0800 377 7330, via their website at!https://www.spso.org.uk or by writing to: SPSO, Freepost EH641, Edinburgh, EH3 0BR

baldelectrician

Contact your local MSP- as Scottish Water is owned by the Scottish Government they can rattle a few cages