SNP MSP Claire Adamson says the Motherwell area had loss of water for days and she wrote to Scottish Water for a full explanation.

Ms Anderson says she was told a report had been submitted but that it was confidential. 

The SNP MSP is concerned about the lack of information after incidents.

Chief Operating Officer Peter Farrer says this particular fault occurred when oil contamination got into the water supply and that it was repaired quickly.

He says bottle water was delivered to customer's doorsteps.

Mr Farrer says the investigation is still underway. 

Citzen Advice Scotland explains how water and sewerage charges operate and how to sort out problems with bills, external. 

Image source, CAS

It has advice on how to complain to Scottish Water and seek compensation from it. 

There is also basic information about private water supplies and sewerage.

Mr Farrer says the company are working hard on reducing discolouration complaints.

He says Scottish Water will be working hard to improve in this area and expects the figures to reflect this in next year's reports.   

Scottish Water's Peter Farrer says there are 318,000 water tests a year and 99.9% pass the very stringent water standards.

Mr Farrer says it learns from any incidents where the standards are not met.

Homes and businesses in North Lanarkshire were affected by problems with the taste and smell of their water supplies in June. 

The problem had affected properties in Carfin, Newarthill, New Stevenston, Dalziel Park and Chapelhall. 

Nine local schools were closed as samples were taken to discover what caused the problem. 

Scottish Water said it had been told the water had an "oily based substance" with a strong odour. It advised people living in the affected areas to only use mains water to flush their toilets. 

Scottish Water's Chief Operating Officer Peter Farrer says the company are looking at consumer behaviours and trying to get customers to change habits so water is not being wasted.

SNP MSP Clare Adamson asks about climate change and sustainable development.

Ms Adamson asks if Scottish Water are meeting its targets in this area.

Douglas Millican says over the years Scottish Water has made a major benefit to the aquatic environment, but it has driven up the demand for chemicals and energy.

Image source, bbc

Mr Millican says the organisation is looking to drive down the need for external energy.

He says this includes the use of hydro power which can reduce the amount of energy needed from the grid. 

Scottish Water's Chief Operating Officer Peter Farrer says when any dissatisfaction is recorded the company have the opportunity to put it right before a complaint is made.

Mr Farrer says complaints have reduced by 64% and are reducing further.

He says the ombudsman have only referred back four complaints this year which is a reduction from 11 last year and 64 the year before.

Mr Farrer says this tells him employees are dealing with complaints properly the first time around. 

Chief Executive Douglas Millican says OPA is about measuring the service the company provides to its customers.

Mr Millican says the company have a target which are based around OPA scores.

He says this is a good 'health check' in relation to the physical service that is being provided to customers. 

Labour MSP Siobhan McMahon asks about vulnerable customers.

Image source, bbc

 Ms Dow says Scottish Water strives to provide a great level of customer service.  

Scottish Water's Johanna Dow says Scottish Water made £36m savings for the public sector and only lost out on the Scottish government contract by a narrow margin. 

The Scottish government has been criticised for awarding a £360m contract to a private water company.

Billing and meter reading services for council buildings, hospitals and prisons had been run by an Edinburgh-based subsidiary of Scottish Water.

However, from January it will be run by Anglian Water Business (AWB).

The Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie said delays in awarding the contract had led to months of uncertainty.

SNP MSP Mike MacKenzie asks about international work and whether or not additional contracts have been gained.

Mr Millican says the company will continue to work in Qatar and Calgary where operations have been successful. 

The Chief Executive says operations have increased in Australia and are showing promise for further work in the future.   

SNP MSP Adam Ingram asks how Scottish Water deals with people who have gone into debt. 

Image source, bbc

Mr Millican says nearly half of homes in Scotland receive a reduction in their water charges, so there is huge support. 

The Scottish Water chief executive details the Water Direct Pilot being run in Fife, which has been a very effective tool for effectively helping customers pay there water charges. 

Labour MSP Adam Ingram asks about debt recovery.

Mr Ingram says he understands Scottish Water don't collect outstanding debts directly and asks what that does for customer relations.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Millican says the company communicate with their customers and that the current arrangement of sending out one bill for duel services works well.

The Chief Executive says as money collection rises debt falls and that benefits Scottish customers. 

Mr Eadie says it is confusing that households that get a 100% rebate on council tax but only a 25% discount on water charges.

Mr Millican says the charging structure is of a very progressive nature.

He says a long term charging review is being undertaken to make sure charges are as affordable as they can be for Scottish Water customers.

Scottish Water's Chief Executive Douglas Millican says Scottish Water is very active over its PFI contracts. 

Mr Millican says one of the key aspects of these contracts is that the assets have to be handed back in the correct condition at the end of the contracts. 

He says there are nine PFI contracts one for sludge treatment and the other eight are for waste water.  

Committee convener Jim Eadie asks about ta 31% improvement in performance.

Image source, bbc

Scottish Water's Chief Operating Office Peter Farre says measure customer service in Overall Performance Assessment and the score was first implemented in England and Wales a number of years ago.

Mr Farre says the OPA score has been improving and is now in a leading position in the UK.

Lady Rice says Scottish Water are conducting customer services and investing in water quality.

She say the organisation is working with partners across the country.

Chair of Scottish Water Lady Susan Rice says she's been struck by how customer focused Scottish Water is.

Lady Rice says it's one of the top performing water company in the UK.

The Chair of Scottish Water says she i new in the post but is impressed by the improvements that have been made in various areas.

Committee convener Jim Eadie proposes the committee will discuss the possibility of an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the closure of the Forth Road Bridge in public.

  The committee agrees and we will of course bring you coverage of this.