Committee publication · Correspondence · 6 March 2026
Correspondence from Northumbrian Water regarding debt collection practices, dated 23 December 2025
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Reforming the water sector
Summary
Northumbrian Water responds to EFRA Committee questions about debt collection practices for vulnerable customers. The company states it does not apply for Suspended Committal Orders, screens vulnerable households before enforcement, and requires bodycam recordings from contractors. Data from April 2018 onwards shows enforcement agents visited homes in 1,090–4,547 cases annually, with 48–63% concerning debts under £1,000. Complaint rates remain low at 1.7%.
Key findings
- Northumbrian Water does not apply for or pursue Suspended Committal Orders; court-initiated SCOs occur only if defendants breach court instructions during Attachment of Earnings, affecting 8–54 cases per year (2018–2025), with 50–67% concerning debts under £1,000.
- Enforcement agents visited homes 1,090–4,547 times per year (2018–2025); 48–63% involved debts under £1,000 with average debt £624–£836, compared to £1,372–£1,781 for debts over £1,000.
- Company uses pre-action scoring to screen out households with low ability to pay, in receipt of benefits, or with vulnerability markers; confirms none of enforcement cases involved customers known to be receiving means-tested benefits at time of enforcement.
- All external contractors are required to provide bodycam recordings reviewed for training and compliance; company regularly audits contractor processes and monitors complaints.
- Complaints linked to enforcement accounts remain low at 1.7% overall; no complaints escalated to Consumer Council for Water regarding enforcement actions or Paying Fair Guidelines breaches; data available only from April 2018 onwards due to legacy system decommissioning.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Northumbrian Water Group Limited, Alistair Carmichael MP, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Consumer Council for Water, Ofwat, Heidi Mottram CBE, County Court Bailiffs, High Court Bailiff companies (Equita, Marstons)
Notable line
“We do not apply for Orders to Obtain information or Suspended Committal Orders in order to collect unpaid water charges from customers.”
Key Quotes
“… we are committed to protecting customers in vulnerable circumstances, promoting affordability, and ensuring enforcement is used only as an absolute last resort”
“We do not apply for Orders to Obtain information or Suspended Committal Orders in order to collect unpaid water charges from customers.”
“For all the enforcement scenarios detailed below we carry our pre-action scoring to attempt to screen out any households that are scored as low ability to pay/ in receipt of benefits, or where we hold a relevant vulnerability marker.”
“Customers known to be receiving means tested benefits would not meet the criteria for enforcement and would be redirected away from court-based collection activities”
“For any external contractor working to collect unpaid charges and visit on our behalf we require bodycam recordings to be captured which we are able to review for training/compliance or customer investigation”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗