Dear Sir/Madam
After careful consideration, I have decided I can no longer pay for the wastewater treatment part of my water bill. Therefore, I have today paid the amount of £*** for the incoming water services, and I am withholding the amount of £*** for the treatment of wastewater as I question the accuracy of this amount in consideration of recent reports about your actions.
Recent media coverage confirms that your company is still behaving recklessly by persistently releasing untreated sewage into our waterways.
I write now with a formal complaint and to clarify why this amount is being charged to my bill if treatment of the wastewater is not taking place. It would seem to be a wholly inaccurate charge.
My complaint concerns your company’s grievous dereliction of duty, and of your legal and moral responsibility not to pollute our precious rivers and oceans. Enabling you to continue this seems now to me to be also an ethical question: I cannot continue paying for a service which is simply not being provided – that is, the responsible disposal of the wastewater from my property. Furthermore, my paying this section of my water bill supports the harmful and repeated practice of sewage dumping.
I would note that while my complaint about the accuracy of my bill is outstanding, you should not pursue me for payment, according to OFWAT’S Paying Fair guidelines. Please put my account on hold while my complaint is outstanding.
I also note that Thames Water has been fined £123m for breaches of rules but has been given until 31 March 2030 to pay these fines. I look forward to Thames Water allowing me a similarly leisurely timetable to pay off any arrears I may agree are due once my complaint above has been resolved.
Yours sincerely
YOUR NAME, CUSTOMER NUMBER AND ADDRESS