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Interruption to your water supply - Harwich - CO12

You are here : All about your water and account > Your Voice matters

Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us understand what matters most to you.

We believe in listening to our customers and learning from your feedback. That’s why we use a range of ways to hear from you.

We’ve identified key themes and are taking action to make meaningful improvements based on what you’ve told us.

  • Customer surveys and contact reviews.
  • Focus groups and customer panels.
  • Brand tracking and strategic research.
  • Independent water service quality reviews.
  • Pilots and industry-wide studies.

Your views help shape everything we do, from how we fix leaks to how we invest in your local water infrastructure.

What’s important to you and what we’re doing to improve it

glass of water

Clean and reliable water 

“There’s nothing worse than not being able to drink clean, fresh water straight from the tap.”

Your top priority is water that’s safe, clean, and dependable and rightly so. We operate 91 treatment works and maintain 16,900 km of water mains to keep your water flowing. But we’re also:

  • investing millions in treatment upgrades.
  • targeting water quality improvements including reduced chemical use and lower lead content.
  • tackling low water pressure where it affects daily life.

Since July we have:

  • continued to monitor groundwater levels, river flows, and lake levels across our catchments. This data is publicly available through our environmental monitoring portal.
  • launched in early August our new Farm Cluster Group Support Fund. This offers contributions of up to £15,000 per group to support partnership projects that protect chalk streams, aquifers, and soils in priority catchments.
  • completed ecological surveys on 75 sites, helping us to identify habitats, species, and opportunities for potential improvement programmes.
a woman filling a kettle

Fairness for everyone

“I believe it is important to help customers who struggle to afford their bills.”

You want billing to be clear, fair and progressive, and support for those who need it most. So, here’s what we’ve promised:

  • to expand support to 170,000 customers, plus 200,000 on our Priority Services Register (PSR).
  • to continue providing our £50 cost of living vouchers and improving debt support.
  • to trial innovative billing with 75% of customers saving money, rolling out to 120,000 homes in 2026.

Since July we have:

  • added a further 12,500 customers to our Priority Services Register meaning that they will receive additional support from us when they need it.
  • identified approximately 30,000 households of our most financially vulnerable households who will benefit from a water assistance voucher.
a technician investigating leaks

Fixing leaks and saving water​​

“Minimising leaks seems like the most important thing a water company would want to do.”

Leaks were a major concern, so we’re taking real action and making sure we are doing more to prevent and prioritise leak fixes to save water:

  • we aim to cut network leakage by 15%.
  • helping homes directly with £5.2 million in leak support.
  • installing pressure control valves to prevent bursts.

Since July we have:

  • fixed over 4,800 leaks, saving a total volume of 3,480 m3/hr.
  • commissioned two new pressure management areas helping to control pressure and prevent bursts.
  • brought in additional resources to help find and fix leaks as quickly as possible in response to the hot, dry weather which led to an increase in leakage outbreak.
a picture of a river

Looking after the environment

“Companies need to take this seriously. Affinity Water has access to channels for real change.”

You want us to go beyond the minimum and we agree. Over the next five years, we’re going to be:

  • launching 33 river restoration projects across chalk streams.
  • funding innovative catchment and nature-based solutions to protect groundwater and chalk stream health.
  • reducing abstraction by 35 million litres in sensitive areas.
  • boosting biodiversity with enhanced grasslands, pond creation, and hedgerow planting.
  • electrifying our fleet by 2030 to reduce emissions.

Since July we have:

  • launched our ‘Functioning Soils’ scheme, across North Hertfordshire and the Rivers Loddon, Wey and Colne which support regenerative farming practices such as cover, and companion cropping to improve soil health and water quality and reduce the impact of nitrates.
  • launched our ‘Rooting for Wildlife’ fund and awarded 20 successful applicants who will be working over the next quarter to deliver exciting biodiversity enhancement projects, including pond restorations on farmland and eco-garden creation at Primary Schools.
a phone managing account online

Providing smarter, simpler services

“Having a chat option (with a human) is amazing for speed and solving things.”

You told us customer service should be effortless and proactive. That’s why we’re:

  • launching a new website and mobile app with live chat and better accessibility.
  • rolling out 400,000 Smart meters by 2030 to give you control over usage and bills.
  • sending, by the end of this year, real-time alerts and leak updates to your devices.

Since July we have:

  • Installed 25,034 smart meters in July, August and September.
a picture of a river

Bringing communities together​

“Educate people on how climate change will mean less water available.”

We're investing in people and places:

  • by continuing with our Schools Programme that supports engagement with pupils aged 8 to 12 on the environment and water saving initiatives. 265 schools across our region have already signed up.
  • launching a new ‘Water in the Landscape’ fund to help farmers and landowners improve water quality and soil health.
  • strengthening community partnerships and environmental events to raise awareness of water conservation.
  • driving behaviour change with practical advice, resources, and inspiring stories that show how small changes can make a big difference.

Since July we have been busy engaging with our community by:

  • sponsoring Groundswell and Agroforestry farming events to showcase commitment to regenerative farm and sustainable land management which are approaches that support climate change mitigation.
  • launched our ‘Water in the Landscape’ fund and have accepted applications for 13 innovative nature-based solutions including agroforestry, chalk grassland, ponds, wet woodlands and more.
  • launched Keep Life Flowing, a new water-saving behaviour change campaign that builds on the success of Save Our Streams. The campaign celebrates the joy water brings to modern living while promoting practical water-saving tips and reducing wastage.
  • welcomed 8,500 new customers into our water-saving community, increasing total membership to more than 380,000 people actively engaged in saving water.
  • launched LEGO Education interactive workshops to primary schools, where pupils build and code robots to solve water-saving challenges and inspire the next generation.
a child playing

Transparency you can trust

“If bills rise, show us what we’re paying for.”

We know trust is earned. That's why:

  • we haven’t paid dividends to shareholders from our regulated business in eight years.
  • we are transparent about every investment and committed to open communication.
  • we are enhancing collaboration with local communities and groups.
  • and continue highlighting financial assistance programmes and customer support options.

Since July, we’ve taken further steps to improve transparency and support by:

  • redesigning customer bills to present information in a simpler, clearer format.
  • introducing live wait times and a call-back option on the interactive telephone system, reducing customer frustration and improving accessibility.
  • prioritising Priority Services Register customers by routing their operational and billing queries to the front of the queue.
  • refreshing and streamlining the most frequently asked questions about billing to provide faster and more accurate self-service support.
  • developing an annotated bill guide to help customers better understand their charges.
  • delivering external debt management training for Contact Centre teams, strengthening their ability to support customers in financial difficulty.
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