Water customer angry at missing compensation

A woman who said she was left with no water for three days in November 2023 has been told she does not qualify for compensation.

Catherine Miller from Milford in Surrey was among thousands hit by water outages during Storm Ciaran.

Thames Water said she did not receive a payment because she was not cut off for a full 12-hour period.

The company also said it had compensated 19,000 customers and businesses affected by the storm.

Ms Miller said the situation had left her frustrated.

"It's like we're being told we're lying," she said.

"It should be credited to our accounts without us having to do anything. I shouldn't have to go to MPs, and I've had to go to MPs.

"What's worse is that we've just had the bill through and the bill's gone up £60 a year, which was like a red rag to a bull, I can tell you."

Bottled water was handed out in Surrey during the outages

A spokesman for Thames Water said: “Unfortunately, Catherine Miller wasn’t eligible for a Customer Guarantee Scheme payment in relation to this incident, as the modelling and calculations that our Water Interruption team carried out showed that the supply to her property wasn’t interrupted for a full 12-hour period in order for her to be eligible for a payment.

“That remained the case even after we enhanced our eligibility criteria more recently, and from our further review and assessment this is the outcome for all residents on her road."