Sewerage, meter : what happens next time, if you already used up your one-off leakage allowance?

Annemos

Good evening. 
I am looking into what happens if you have a water leak when on a meter. 
It seems you can request a one-off usage allowance, so you are hopefully let off the cost of the excess use, for one tiime only. 
Our bills have a water charge and a sewerage charge. 

So, what would happen if you had a water leak a second time? And assume that the water was leaking into the ground under the home or garden. 
Would the homeowner just be charged for 100 per cent of the water that flowed through the meter PLUS a sewerage charge as if it had been the normal usage without the leak?

Or would they have to pay the full 100 per cent of the sewerage charge, too? 

Thank you. 

Cardew

The one-off usage allowance is only a 'goodwill' gesture by the company. There is no entitlement to the allowance and there have been several cases reported where such an allowance has been refused even on a first claim.

In essence you are responsible for any leak after the meter.

Annemos

Ouch. Thanks Cardew. One should read one's meter every month? 

tim_p

I read all my meters regularly, water monthly and the rest more frequently.  Water one is a bit of a faff, sat on pavement with a big screwdriver and an iPhone!

Annemos

Yes it is indeed a faff, but OK in my case. It's so important, because Water Board only comes out once a year. 
I shall be watching all these like hawk from now on. 
None of my relatives are on a meter, so they are also finding this interesting! 

matelodave

I've had two leaks over the past eight years and both of them were discovered by me because I read the meter regularly - once a month so the most I lost was a months worth in both cases

It may be a bit of a faff but its a lot cheaper than ending up with a subsiding drive or house foundations (even just a 35 cu.m leak has affected the block paved drive) I dread to think how much damage a years worth could do.

I got an allowance for the first leak (35cu in a month) but not for the second. I have now replaced the whole water pipe from the meter to the indoor stop valve to reduce the chances of it happening again.

I found an excellent company who mole'd the pipe in with minimal disruption and who were the best part of a grand cheaper than anyone else who wanted to excavate the drive to do it.