Sewer transfer plan to bring higher water rates bills

Sewers owned and maintained by homeowners will be transferred to water companies in October, the Government confirmed on Friday.

But the cost of the change will be passed onto customers through their water bills at a price of between £4 to £14 a year, according to operator Thames Water, that supplies many customers in Haringey.

Martin Baggs, chief executive of Thames Water, said: “Although this will be a very big operational challenge for us, we welcome the clarity and peace of mind that the Government’s decision to transfer private sewers to water companies will bring for our customers.

“The additional cost to our customers will protect customers against infrequent but large one-off costs to which they are currently exposed.

“But this change-over will not be straightforward for water companies – overnight Thames Water will take on an additional network of sewers longer than some other sewerage companies’ entire sewerage networks.”

The regulations, drawn up by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will kick in on October 1, when privately-owned sewerage and drains will transfer to the companies.

Thames Water estimates it will receive around 40,000 km of lateral drains and sewers when the change happens – an increase of 60 per cent – adding about £35M to its yearly operating costs.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “The transfer will stop the financial threat of customers being hit with huge repair bills for sewers that sometimes aren’t even on their property.

“It’s a much fairer and simpler approach which will also improve the overall quality of the network to reduce the chance of problems in the first place.” 

Story from The Haringey Independent