Through our award-winning Tap programme we offer customers a range of schemes and low rate tariffs to help them afford their ongoing water bills and repay their debt. We also offer practical support to help customers reduce their water and energy use.

Over the last 13 years we have developed effective partnerships with the debt advice sector including Citizens Advice, StepChange and the National Debt Line. This has enabled us to raise awareness of and increase the number of customers who have access to our financial support schemes. Debt advisers provide holistic help and support, including how to maximise income.

We support these partners to help our customers by providing funding to advice agencies for every successful application we receive. An application is deemed successful when it leads to the customer being accepted on to one or more of our affordability schemes, eg, Assist, pension credit discount or Restart.

Delivery of this commitment continued to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic as many debt advice agencies struggled to meet capacity, and government help effectively supported customers.