Water Services Regulation Authority

Ofwat is the economic regulator for water and sewerage in England and Wales. It sets the price limits that companies can charge, approves investment plans and enforces the conditions of appointment that each company operates under. It is not a complaints service: individual customer disputes go to the company first and then to the Consumer Council for Water.

What Ofwat does

• Sets five-year price limits and service targets for water companies.
• Reviews and approves business plans and investment programmes.
• Monitors performance on leaks, pollution, supply interruptions and customer service.
• Investigates companies that breach their legal duties and can impose penalties.
• Oversees the market for business retail water customers.
• Publishes comparative data on company performance.

What it cannot do

Ofwat cannot resolve your bill, cannot order a refund to your household and cannot decide a complaint about a missed appointment. It also does not set the wholesale price of water or handle complaints about council tax, energy or broadband. Those are separate regulators.

When to contact Ofwat

Contact Ofwat when the issue is about a company's conduct across its customer base rather than your account alone: repeated pollution incidents, failure to meet leakage targets, misleading performance reporting or a systemic failure in how complaints are handled. Ofwat also takes evidence on companies that fail to support vulnerable customers.

For an individual case, follow the company's complaint procedure and then ask the Consumer Council for Water to take it up. If the company and CCW cannot resolve it, the case may be eligible for the water industry redress scheme. Keep the final response and the dates, because the scheme will ask for them.

How price limits affect your bill

Ofwat's price review determines the allowed revenue for each company, which feeds into the charges you see. The headline bill change is not the same for every household: regional charges, meter status and usage all matter. If your bill rises by more than the published allowance, ask the company to explain the components in writing and compare them with Ofwat's determination.

Evidence that helps

Keep bills, meter readings, correspondence and any photos of leaks, flooding or pollution. If you are reporting a wider issue, include the location, the dates and any reference numbers from the company or the Environment Agency. Ofwat's enforcement decisions are built on documented patterns, not single anecdotes.

Read water complaints in England and Wales for the customer route, and use the Consumer Council for Water page when you are ready to escalate.