Shipdham villagers angry over drainage cost they do not use

Anglian Water has been charging people living in Shipdham for surface water drainage despite their properties not being connected to drains under the auspices of the company.

People living on at least seven streets in the village near Dereham have been given their money back after notifying Anglian Water they had been incorrectly charged.

READ MORE: Town pool set to reopen after ceiling repairs completed

The charge has also been removed from their future bills, with Anglian Water saying the emphasis is on customers to contact it about not being connected to surface water drains.

The cost in question came to light when Paul Belo, who lives on Letton Road, queried the charge in his bill.

The 75-year-old said: "If I feel I'm being cheated, I'm like a dog with a bone.

Paul Belo had been made aware of the charge because he had a similar experience at his previous home (Image: Denise Bradley) "I'd been charged something similar when I lived in Cambridgeshire. If you don't know about it, you just accept it because the information isn't clear.

"There will be vulnerable people who have no idea about this and to whom an extra £200 can make a huge difference.

"Isn't there a duty of care for these companies to do the right thing, otherwise how do we trust them?"

READ MORE: Boutique store owner hit by 14 power cuts in SIX months

Mr Belo then called Samantha Shelley, 57, who, after being told she was also entitled to a refund, posted a message on the village's Facebook group advising others to call and check their eligibility as well.

She said: "I'm astounded by Anglian Water's attitude to this. They should be more proactive about having this checked. 

Mrs Shelley has printed leaflets to make sure more people in the village are aware about the drainage charge (Image: Denise Bradley) "The only ones who are going to know how many this has affected is Anglian Water because they have a map they can check addresses with water drainage on."

One person, Helen Fletcher, 51, received a refund of an amount that backdated to 2018, but was angry it was not further. 

She said: "Anglian Water must have been aware of this and they did nothing.

"I've lived in this property since 2011, so I have overpaid for a total of 13 years yet they are only refunding six of those.

"They have effectively stolen seven years of payments from me."

READ MORE: What is happening to town's Wilko store site?

Amanda Worth, 64, who lives on Pound Green Lane, was frustrated at the inaccessibility of information regarding the charge.

"If my neighbour hadn't told me about it, I would have never known," she said.

"When it comes to your water bill, it's not something you query like your gas bill. 

"You just assume you're being charged correctly and for what you use."

Glenise Allen, who is 70 and has lived at her address for 18 years, is grateful for Shipdham's sense of community as those in the village have raised awareness about the charge. 

Glenise Allen believes the village has demonstrated great community (Image: Denise Bradley) She said: "Everyone in the village has been looking out for each other and I'm grateful I've received the rebate. 

"Anglian Water has also been kind and helpful, so what more can I ask for?"

In deep water?

Anglian Water said it has made customers aware of reduced charges linked to not being connected to surface water drains since 2000.

It also says the onus is on its customers to notify it when they do not require the service because information about whether they are connected to a drain can be found in the deed of their property, which Anglian Water does not have access to.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said: "Customers whose homes are not connected to the surface water drains are entitled to a reduction on their sewerage bill.

"Since a reduced charge for non-connected properties was introduced in 2000 we have asked customers to let us know if their charge is incorrect. 

Anglian Water says it will refund customers who qualify up to six years or to 2013, depending on when the property was built (Image: Archant) "In order to qualify for a reduced sewerage charge, all of the surface water from the property must go into a soakaway.

"This information can usually be found on property deeds. As property deeds are not accessible to Anglian Water, we rely on our customers to contact us if they think they have a soakaway and are entitled to the rebate." 

It also said if the property was built before 2000, it will backdate the reduction to April 2013.

Properties built afterwards will be backdated up to a six years or to the customer's occupation date, whichever is less.