Over 13,000 households to get compensation payout worth £200 after major water disruption
Residents of Devon, Plymouth, Tavistock, and Torquay experienced a major water outage over the weekend. Around 13,000 properties across the areas lost access to water from Sunday. Supplier - South West Water (SWW) - confirmed that the outage was due to a major water main burst.
The water supplier announced today that it had successfully restored the water supply across west Devon today, adding that every part of its water network was "back in operation".
In a statement released today, it said: "It can take time for water to flow throughout the network due to topography and increasing demand, but we are monitoring our systems carefully and can confirm water is flowing throughout the network."
The company also noted that as the water comes back into service, it is normal to expect discolouration, which should clear after running your cold kitchen tap. A spokesperson for SWW said: "We are pleased to say that customers should now be back in supply. We want to apologise again for the inconvenience this has caused, but we would also like to thank all of our customers for their patience and kindness to our teams on the ground providing bottled water."
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On Tuesday, it was confirmed that households affected by the outage would receive a compensation payment worth £200. South West Water said it would credit affected domestic customers with a guaranteed £50 per 12 hours without service and £50 for each subsequent 12-hour period. It said: "This is over and above the current statutory amounts of £20 per 12 hours and £10 per subsequent 24-hour period."
South West Water said it would compensate business customers by paying £100 per 12 hours without service and £100 for each subsequent 12-hour period.
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The company said this was also "over and above the current statutory payments" which were £50 per 12 hours and £25 for each subsequent 12-hour period without service. The total payment to business customers would sit at £400. Alongside this, businesses will also be able to apply for compensation for additional loss of service, and it will share details on this process as soon as it is able.
SWW reiterated its commitment to fair compensation, describing the payments as a "gesture of goodwill" to make amends for the disruption.
Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View Fred Thomas, however, shared that South West Water told him the total compensation figure for household customers would reach up to £250, with businesses set for a £400 payout, according to a BBC report. During the outage, the Labour MP pressed SWW for action, calling the situation "unacceptable."
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