Man refusing to pay water bill after four years

A man has refused to pay his waste water bills for more than four years because of concerns about capacity issues at a local pumping station.

Rupert Firkins stood up at a public meeting in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, to ask about the issues affecting Thames Water's Primrose Court sewage treatment works, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He claimed it only takes a small amount of rain for the treatment works to reach capacity and discharge into the neighbouring field.

A representative of Thames Water who was present at the meeting said they could not comment on individual billing cases.

Mr Firkins explained at the meeting that he had six debt collection agencies chasing him for payment.

"I approached the Environment Agency trying to get something done about the fact Thames Water appear to be operating out of permit at Primrose Court and long story short, four years later, I'm still withholding payment" he told the meeting.

"When I explain why I'm not paying, they all either write back to Thames to say we're washing our hands with this or Thames writes back and says they're not doing anything about this."

If a utilities customer refuses to pay their bills it may negatively impact their credit rating and can result in legal actions including debt collection.

A Thames Water spokesperson said that they "understand the strength of feeling around river health and we are committed to seeing our waterways thrive, but we can't do it alone."

"Farming, industry, road runoff, wildlife and increasingly extreme weather also play a role in river health and as demand on infrastructure increases, more investment is needed."

"We have clear and deliverable plans to upgrade 250 of our sites across the region, to increase treatment capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges, including at our site in Moreton-in-Marsh."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said that it was "disappointing that water companies reported an increase in sewage spills in 2023, but it is sadly not surprising."

"We are pleased to see record investment from the water sector, but we know it will take time for this to be reflected in spill data – it is a complex issue that won't be solved overnight."

The Environment Agency are set to review Thames Water's permit for the Primrose Court pumping station in 2025.