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At the same time, the company is helping tens of thousands of customers with their bills through a variety of schemes, including:

• The Big Difference Scheme offers discounts of between 10% and 90% on their bills. We work with Citizens Advice Bureau and the Severn Trent Trust Fund to administer the scheme on our behalf. Customers who are accepted will remain on the scheme for an initial period of 12 months;
• The Severn Trent Trust Fund provides financial help to customers who have built up arrears and are unable to pay back the debt. Around three-quarters of customers who receive a grant from this fund go on to become standard paying customers;
• WaterSure is available for customers who need to use a lot of water, who are on a water meter, receive benefits and also fulfil certain additional criteria. This year we’ve also launched a payment matching scheme to help customers to reduce or write off their debt on a ‘you pay, we match’ basis; and
• We’ve just launched a trial in Coventry to provide financial support to care leavers as they move into independent living.

Liv Garfield, Severn Trent Chief Executive, said: “Given everything that’s been going on over the last 12 months we know many of our customers will be worried about paying their bills which is why we’re helping more people than ever, whether through bill reductions or water efficiency.
“We really would urge anyone who thinks they might have issues in paying their bills to get in touch so we can see if there’s any way we can help them through what have been incredibly difficult times for so, so many people.”
The average combined bill is to go up by £8 to £369 for the next 12 months.
In response to the pandemic, Severn Trent has:

• Provided £13 million to support customers in financial need, and launched an emergency fund that has seen us donate £1m to 339 local charities and non-profits that are providing day-to-day support to communities dealing with COVID;
• Accelerated payments to our supply chain helping 705 small and medium-sized enterprises in our region with crucial cash flow;
• Continued with our new talent programme for apprentices and graduates; and
• Embraced the Government Kickstart Scheme with ambitious plans to support 500 16- to 24-year-olds into employment with paid work experience and skills development this year.

And the company also has plans to spend more than £6bn on new and existing projects between 2020 and 2025, investment that will help the region bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.
You can find details of the support we offer customers here.