Water firm bills residents for non-existent sewer
BBCA water company has apologised after it tried to charge for sewerage at a group of properties with septic tanks.
Some residents in Stoney Heath, near Baughurst, Hampshire, said they had been unable to persuade Thames Water to withdraw the charges for waste water collection.
One said the firm followed up the mistaken bills with repeated phone calls, which left her neighbours feeling harassed.
When contacted by the BBC, the firm acknowledged the error and said it was "sorry for any confusion".
Dr Lorna Mountford, who has filed an official complaint, said at least nine residents were sent bills ranging from about £70 to more than £140 and at least one person had paid.
She said: "I'm just disappointed, really. There are no sewers and one would expect Thames Water to know where their pipes are.
"I phoned them up. I asked for it to be escalated. I asked for a call back. I never received the call back.
"I did get a text asking me to rate their quality of service from zero to 10 and then a few days later I had a text telling me to set up a direct debit.
"My neighbours have had the same. Some of them have been phoned a number of times. They've said to me they feel harassed by Thames Water."
Another resident, Richard Brown, said: "They're totally incompetent, but even worse, it's very difficult to have any dialogue with them.
"They're not very helpful on the phone. I've sent them an email. I've had no response.
"Thames Water, as I see it, are a total mess."
In a statement, the firm said: "We are sorry for any confusion caused to residents of Stoney Heath who have been incorrectly billed.
"We would like to provide assurance the matter has been reviewed and we are in the process of closing any accounts that were raised in error and we will be contacting impacted customers directly to apologise."
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.