Thames Water has issued an apology to a customer after mistakenly debiting £145,562 from his bank account due to an error in meter reading. Adam Bainbridge, a teacher from north London, discovered the erroneous charge while checking his accounts on Thursday morning. His wife, Julia, stated that Adam experienced significant distress and difficulty managing their bills as a result of the unexpected withdrawal.
Thames Water confirmed that the funds have been returned to Bainbridge's account and that they have offered a 'gesture of goodwill.' The company also apologized personally to Bainbridge. Julia Bainbridge reported that the debit had pushed their account into overdraft, complicating their financial situation.
Julia recounted the challenges they faced in trying to resolve the issue, stating that Adam initially could only communicate with a Thames chatbot, which informed him that the error would be corrected in the next payment cycle. After contacting their bank, the money was returned.
The incident occurs amid a record 84% increase in complaints about water companies to the industry regulator, driven by customer confusion over billing. Water customers in England and Wales have faced significant price increases in recent years, with the regulator Ofwat permitting a 36% rise in bills from 2025 to 2030.
Thames Water, the largest water company in the UK, is currently managing approximately £20 billion in debt and is in discussions with creditors and government officials to avoid potential collapse. Bainbridge expressed his shock at the billing error, stating that it felt as though the calculations were disconnected from reality.
A spokesperson for Thames Water reiterated their apology to the Bainbridge family, attributing the mistake to human error from an incorrect meter reading. The company has stated that it is implementing additional checks to prevent similar issues in the future. Julia Bainbridge also shared her frustrations on LinkedIn, questioning how such a large payment could be processed without adequate checks.