Southern Water

Water company Products & services: Water and wastewater services.

Updated: 3 August 2026

Company Overview

Industry: Water supply and wastewater (sewerage) services
Parent company: Macquarie-led consortium (Macquarie Asset Management majority owner since 2021; Asterion Industrial Partners ~20% from June 2026)
Regulator: Ofwat (economic regulator); Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate (environmental and water-quality regulators)
Ombudsman: No statutory water ombudsman: Consumer Council for Water (CCW) reviews complaints; the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman provides binding ADR
Customers: Around 2.6 million people for water supply and more than 4 million for wastewater across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Founded: 1989 (water privatisation; company incorporated 1 April 1989)
Legal entity: Southern Water Services Limited (Companies House no. 02366670)

What customers complain about

Customers complaining to Southern Water most often raise billing and account issues, which dominate water-sector complaints, alongside anger about sewage spills and pollution and the affordability of rising bills. Southern Water has repeatedly ranked among the worst water companies for complaints: on CCW's data it was the most-complained-about company in 2022-23, and in April-December 2025 it recorded 78.69 complaints to the company per 10,000 connections (16,432 complaints), placing it in the third quartile ('at or worse than median'). There is no statutory water ombudsman: complain to Southern Water first on 0330 303 0223, then CCW can take up the complaint for free, and the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman gives a binding decision after deadlock. Southern Water is regulated by Ofwat and has faced heavy enforcement, including a record £90m criminal fine in 2021 and a further £7.1m fine in July 2026 for sewage pollution. Guaranteed Standards Scheme payments apply for certain service failures.

Complaint categories

1
Billing and account issues
Disputes over bills, charges, metered bills and account handling are the single biggest source of water complaints, and Southern Water bills across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
CCW reports billing as the top complaint category across the water sector, accounting for the majority of complaints made to companies and to CCW in recent years.
2
Sewage spills and pollution
Anger over sewage spills, beach closures and pollution is a defining feature of complaints about Southern Water, reflected in repeated criminal enforcement over illegal discharges.
Southern Water was fined a record £90m in 2021 for 6,971 illegal discharges (2010-2015) and a further £7.1m in July 2026 over sewage pollution in Kent; sewage-spill anger even prompted a customer bill boycott in 2023.
3
Affordability and rising bills
Concern over the affordability of rising water bills features heavily in escalated complaints across Southern Water's region following the 2025-30 price review, which allowed steep bill increases.
CCW reported affordability and bill-increase complaints rising sharply across the sector, and Southern Water customers protested planned bill rises.
4
Complaint handling and response times
How quickly and how well Southern Water handles complaints matters, and the Guaranteed Standards Scheme backs its 10-working-day written-response commitment with an automatic payment.
Southern Water aims to reply to written complaints within 10 working days; a missed reply triggers an automatic £40 GSS payment.

Contact methods

Complaint journey

1
Contact Southern Water
Report the complaint to the customer care team.
Typical responseImmediate
What happens
Southern Water asks you to call 0330 303 0223 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) for complaints about your bill or your water or wastewater services, saying it wants to resolve your complaint immediately. You can also complain in writing by email to customerservices@southernwater.co.uk. Quote your account number, property postcode and a clear description of what went wrong and the outcome you would like.
2
Get a reply within 10 working days for written complaints
Southern Water investigates and responds.
Typical response10 working days
What happens
Southern Water aims to resolve phone complaints immediately. For written complaints received by post or email it responds within 10 working days. If it does not reply within 10 working days, it says you are automatically entitled to a payment under its Guaranteed Standards Scheme (£40).
3
Ask a manager to review
Escalate internally if you are still unhappy.
Typical responseVaries
What happens
If you have written in and are not satisfied with the response, call 0330 303 0118 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) to ask a customer services manager to review your case with you. Keep every reference number and letter, which you will need to escalate further.
4
Ask CCW to take it up
The consumer body can help for free.
Typical responseVaries
What happens
If you have followed Southern Water's complaints process and are still unhappy, contact the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) on 0300 034 2222. CCW is the free, independent statutory consumer body for water; it can advise you and take up the complaint with Southern Water. CCW is not a regulator and does not fine the company. Follow the company's process first, or CCW will pass the complaint back.
5
Refer to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman
Independent adjudication once deadlocked.
Typical response20 working days
What happens
If your complaint remains unresolved after CCW's review, you can refer it to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman, the water sector's alternative dispute resolution provider appointed via Water UK in 2026, for a final independent decision. Its decision is binding on Southern Water if you accept it; if you reject it you keep your right to go to court.

Response times

Southern Water says it wants to resolve complaints immediately when you call 0330 303 0223. It responds to written complaints received by post and email within 10 working days of the date received, and says that if it does not, you are automatically entitled to a payment under its Guaranteed Standards Scheme. This mirrors the GSS, under which a water company must send a full reply to a written complaint or account query within 10 working days and owes an automatic £40 if it misses that. Other GSS standards carry fixed payments too: £50 for a missed or short-notice-cancelled appointment, and, for a missed supply-restoration deadline, £50 plus a further £50 for each additional 12-hour period. If you remain unhappy after following the process, you can ask CCW to take it up for free; a deadlocked complaint can then go to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman for a binding decision.

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If Southern Water can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

Consumer Council for Water

Recent news

17 July 2026
Southern Water was fined £7,127,083 (plus £149,000 costs) at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to 13 offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, following an Environment Agency prosecution over illegal sewage discharges in Kent between 2019 and 2021, including large discharges around Thanet, Margate and Broadstairs that led to beach closures. The Environment Agency said the preventable incidents harmed the environment and local communities.
Read more
22 June 2026
A Macquarie-led consortium committed a further £300m of equity to Southern Water, completing a £1.2bn equity support package first announced in July 2025; Asterion Industrial Partners joined as a new shareholder holding around 20% of the company.
Read more
8 October 2024
In Ofwat's annual water company performance report (2023-24), Southern Water was among the worst-performing companies and was required to return around £31.9m to customers through lower bills in 2025-26 for missing performance commitments; reporting noted Southern Water had been among the poorest performers for several consecutive years.
Read more

Earlier cases

9 July 2021
Historic: Southern Water was fined a record £90m at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges from 16 wastewater treatment works and one storm overflow across Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex between 2010 and 2015 - the Environment Agency's largest criminal investigation. The judge found the offences were committed deliberately and that the company had presented a misleading picture of compliance. An estimated 16-21 billion litres of untreated sewage were discharged; the fine was to be paid from operating profits, not customer bills.
Read more
25 June 2019
Historic: Ofwat confirmed a £126m penalty-and-rebate package against Southern Water for serious failures at its sewage treatment sites and the deliberate misreporting of performance data, which had let it avoid penalties under Ofwat's incentive regime. The package included returning about £123m to former and existing customers (roughly £91.2m in underperformance payments and £31.7m in lieu of a greater fine) plus a £3m fine; existing customers received rebates over five years.
Read more

Know your rights

Guaranteed Standards Scheme (Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations)
Sets minimum service standards for water companies with fixed automatic compensation, for example £40 if Southern Water does not fully reply to a written complaint within 10 working days, £50 for a missed or short-notice-cancelled appointment, and £50 (plus £50 per further 12-hour period) for a missed supply-restoration deadline. You can claim within three months if payment is not made automatically. This is general information, not legal advice.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
Water and sewerage supply is a service that must be provided with reasonable care and skill; where it falls short you may be able to seek a repeat performance or a price reduction. Not legal advice.
Water Industry Act 1991
Governs water companies' duties and the powers of Ofwat and the Environment Agency, including standards of service and the regime under which enforcement and penalties operate. Not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a complaint to Southern Water?

Southern Water asks you to call 0330 303 0223 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) for complaints about your bill or your water or wastewater services, and it says it wants to resolve complaints immediately. You can also email customerservices@southernwater.co.uk; written complaints get a reply within 10 working days. Quote your account number, property postcode and what went wrong.

Is there a water ombudsman for Southern Water complaints?

There is no statutory water ombudsman. If Southern Water cannot resolve your complaint, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) can take it up for free, and a deadlocked complaint can go to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman for a binding decision.

Does Southern Water have a good complaints record?

No - it has repeatedly been among the worst. CCW ranked Southern Water the most-complained-about water company in 2022-23, and in April-December 2025 it recorded 78.69 complaints per 10,000 connections (16,432 complaints), in the third quartile ('at or worse than median'). It has also faced record pollution fines, including £90m in 2021 and £7.1m in July 2026.

What happens if Southern Water misses its complaint response time?

Under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme you are automatically entitled to a £40 payment if Southern Water does not reply to a written complaint within 10 working days. Other GSS payments include £50 for a missed appointment and £50 (plus £50 per further 12 hours) for a missed supply-restoration deadline. If it is not paid automatically, claim within three months.

Can I complain to Southern Water about sewage or a beach closure?

Yes - raise it with Southern Water first on 0330 303 0223. Southern Water has been prosecuted repeatedly for illegal sewage discharges, including a record £90m fine in 2021 and £7.1m in July 2026. If it affects the wider environment you can also report pollution to the Environment Agency, but that is enforcement, not a way to resolve your personal complaint; for that, escalate to CCW and then the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman.

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