Local water firm offers support to customers struggling to pay bills
Essex and Suffolk Water are urging customers to reach out to them for assistance before they fall into arrears
Residents in Suffolk and Essex in need of financial support and advice regarding their bills are being urged to reach out to Essex and Suffolk Water, amid rising inflation and energy costs.
Mark Wilkinson is the firm's Head of Income: "This year, customers are finding budgets tightened and you know everybody has a water bill to pay somewhere down the line. So we're really conscious that actually we are part of that budget.
"We really want to encourage our customers who are potentially struggling to come and talk to us about it rather than get themselves into an arrears position and then have to deal with it after the fact.
"It's always much easier to talk about what we can do to help sort of now before you fall behind, so we have a number of different things we can do to help."
They are working alongside debt charity StepChange to offer a range of assistance for customers in need including financial support.
"Sometimes, people just need a little bit of time, so we could set up a delayed payment or rebalance your instalment plan because actually paying the lump sum you'd intended doesn't quite work and you could do with spreading it.
"If your household income is below ÂŁ16,000, there are things we can do to reduce the bill. We offer two or three different financial schemes which will offer a real reduction of up to 50%. It it aims to bring your water bill below 3% of your income."
He also lists some steps that households can take to reduce their bill. "When you replace some of your white goods, look for more eco-friendly versions that consume less water.
"Newer toilet systems that have a smaller flush tend to leak a little bit, so we do find that sometimes people get that constant run down the back of the toilet bowl.
"We offer a free leaky loo replacement or repair service, so if this is something you've noticed, we can come out and fix that for you."
It comes as a leading charity's warning rising fuel bills could "devastate" poorer families in the UK.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation thinks households face an average increase of 47% when the price cap is increased in April.
For anyone who finds that they need assistance or know of a family member, friend or neighbour who may require support, Mr Wilkinson lists the ways to get in contact with them.
"Probably the easiest place to have a look at all the support we offer is on the website: eswater.co.uk. If you go onto our Facebook page, you can send us a private Facebook message.
"Alternatively, we do have a phone number that you can ring, which is 03457820111", he adds.