Committee publication · Correspondence · 6 March 2026
Correspondence from Thames Water regarding debt collection practices, dated 23 December 2025
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Reforming the water sector
Summary
Thames Water's CEO responds to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's inquiry into debt collection practices. The company details its debt recovery process, emphasizing that enforcement is a last resort following 12+ months of engagement. It states it provided £133 million in affordability support in H1 2025-26 and confirms zero use of Suspended Committal Orders, with only 160 enforcement agent cases (0.0042% of billed households) in 2025.
Key findings
- Thames Water undertakes extensive engagement for upwards of 12 months before litigation, offering payment plans and support signposting.
- Affordability schemes include WaterHelp tariff (50% bill reduction for households where bills exceed 5% of net income), WaterSure scheme (capping bills at £471), and Extra Support Payments (up to £700 per household).
- Total affordability support doubled to £133 million in H1 2025-26 compared to £67 million in the same period of the previous year.
- Less than 0.0005% of cases passed to litigation partner Moriarty Law have been escalated to High Court Enforcement; zero Suspended Committal Orders sought in 2023-2025.
- Multiple vulnerability safeguards in place: layered assessments (LawScore model, proportionality review, repeated screening), double approval before enforcement instruction, second approval before any seizure, and vulnerability checks at all stages.
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Chris Weston, Thames Water Utilities Limited, Moriarty Law, Alistair Carmichael MP, Ofwat, Solicitors Regulation Authority
Notable line
“Debt recovery is a last resort, and all cases are rigorously tested to identify any vulnerabilities, with any enforcement halted if they are.”
Key Quotes
“Debt recovery is a last resort, and all cases are rigorously tested to identify any vulnerabilities, with any enforcement halted if they are.”
“Before any case is considered for litigation or enforcement, we undertake extensive engagement for upwards of 12 months, through letters, phone and email, offering support, affordable payment plans and signposting assistance.”
“In total across all of our schemes, we provided £133 million in affordability support in the first half of 2025-26, double the £67 million we provided during the same period of the previous year.”
“Less than 0.0005% of all cases placed with Moriarty Law have ever been escalated to High Court Enforcement, a last resort used only after extensive engagement.”
“We do not instruct Moriarty Law to use Suspended Committal Orders. Similarly, we do not instruct Moriarity Law to use Statutory Charging Orders, Orders to Obtain Information, or property-based Thames Water Utilities Limited …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗