Thousands of struggling households can get free goods worth £400 thanks to an extended bills scheme.
Thames Water has announced an additional £500,000 in funding for its trust fund initiative.
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The Thames Water Trust Fund is an independent trust which aims to help customers who are in financial difficulty.
The new funding includes £400,000 allocated for grants to local organisations that provide support to customers who are in hardship.
The grants allow organisations such as Citizens Advice North Oxfordshire and Islington’s People’s Rights to assist vulnerable households by providing debt and money advice services.
Vulnerable customers can be referred to the trust fund by a Thames Water employee or a registered debt charity such as Citizens Advice.
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Once the applications are received they are then reviewed by the trust and the customer may be contacted to further assess their eligibility.
On average eligible customers could receive up to £400 worth of essential household items such as white goods or beds.
Although when we asked them they did not specify, white goods usually means large appliances such as fridges, freezers and washing machines.
Linda Perham, chair of the Thames Water Trust Fund said that the Thames Water Trust Fund trustees were “delighted” that Thames Water is continuing to support its vital work in helping vulnerable customers.
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It is not only Thames Water that is offering help to people who are struggling.
We have listed below some other companies that offer similar schemes.
Who else offers schemes to help with water bills?
Every company will offer something different, so if you are struggling it is best to reach out to your supplier, but we have some examples of what could be on offer.
Affinity Water has recently extended its Water Assistance Scheme in order to support more customers struggling with rising bills.
The company has partnered with local organisations such as Age Concern, Citizens Advice and other community organisations.
It is offering a one-off £50 cost of living payment to eligible households in the South East.
Anglican Water also launched a £135million package to help 330,000 customers struggling to pay their bills.
This included things such as discounted tariffs, payment plans and payment holidays.
Portsmouth Water is also helping its customers by increasing the length of payment holidays from three to six months to help households manage their bills.
The water company has also moved more than 10,000 customers onto social tariffs.
South West Water made nearly £70million of support available to customers since 2020 and more than £39.2million has been given back to its customers through reduced bills.
Thames Water also said it will provide support for 53,000 extra households taking the total helped to 384,000 households.
Many billpayers across the country could also get help paying off water debts through a little-known scheme and even get the balance written off.
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Companies match the payments eligible customers make against the debt on their account to help clear it sooner.
We have a full list of water companies offering assistance for customers who are struggling with their bills.
