Committee publication · Correspondence · 6 March 2026
Correspondence from Severn Trent regarding debt collection practices, dated 29 December 2025
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Reforming the water sector
Summary
Severn Trent Water responds to the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee's November 2025 inquiry into debt collection practices. The company reports sending enforcement agents to 29,000 homes between April 2020 and March 2025, including 7,564 cases involving debts under £1,000. Severn Trent emphasises its support for vulnerable customers, citing a Consumer Council for Water audit awarding top performance ratings, and proposes enhanced national data-sharing schemes to better identify and assist financially struggling households.
Key findings
- Severn Trent sent enforcement agents to 29,000 homes over five years (April 2020–March 2025), with 7,564 cases involving debts below £1,000.
- The company received a 'green' (top performance) rating across all elements of its debt management process in an independent Consumer Council for Water audit, results expected January 2026.
- Severn Trent does not conduct specific checks to identify customers receiving means-tested benefits before enforcement action; it relies on customers to disclose vulnerability or engage voluntarily.
- Zero Suspended Committal Orders (SCOs) were sought via the company's enforcement panel over five years; one CCW complaint was recorded across the entire period.
- Severn Trent proposes three national policy changes: automatic notification of utilities when households receive certain benefits, a data-sharing protocol between water companies, and encourage social landlords and Citizens Advice to publicise support availability.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Severn Trent Water, Alistair Carmichael MP, Liv Garfield, Jude Burditt, Consumer Council for Water, Ofwat
Notable line
“We will never 'send in the bailiffs' to a customer in debt that we know is vulnerable or is attempting to make repayments.”
Key Quotes
“… they awarded us 'green' (ie, top performance) for every element of our process.”
“Our approach is to keep people out of debt in the first place, provide comprehensive support for those who do fall into debt and, as a means of absolute last resort, only seek legal action against the tiny minority of customers who neither pay their bills nor, despite extensive efforts on our part, engage with us constructively.”
“The key point I'd emphasise is that we never take legal action against a customer that we know to be vulnerable or that is engaging with us.”
“We will never 'send in the bailiffs' to a customer in debt that we know is vulnerable or is attempting to make repayments.”
“Consideration should be given to introducing a single, nationwide government scheme to automatically inform utilities if a household is in receipt of certain benefits or has other vulnerabilities”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗