Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has said that he hopes the launch of a new water company for Mid Wales, Hafren Dyfrdwy, will be a benefit to consumers.
Responding to news that Ofwat, the water regulator, has approved Severn Trent's application to vary its licence, enabling them to create a company dedicated to the interests of its customers in Wales, Mr George has said he wants the consumers voice in Mid Wales to be heard.
Headquartered in Packsaddle near Wrexham, the new company, Hafren Dyfrdwy, will bring together all of Severn Trent's Welsh customers in Wrexham, Powys and Monmouthshire for the first time and will be providing services to around 100,000 customers and 7,000 businesses.
Following a recent meeting with the Consumer Council for Water, Mr George said:
"I was pleased to attend recent meetings of the Consumer Council for Water in both the National Assembly in Cardiff and in Newtown where I was keen to promote that the consumers voice be heard loud and clear throughout the changes which will see the introduction of a new water company to serve Mid Wales, Hafren Dyfrdwy.
"Whilst the vast majority of Wales has been served by Welsh Water, most of Montgomeryshire's residents have been served by Severn Trent, which operates in the Midlands, Mid Wales and the Dee Valley.
"Following Severn Trent's acquisition of Dee Valley Water in North Wales, it has now applied to Ofwat to vary its licence so that it can establish a single company to operate in Wales under Welsh regulations.
"I think that this is a natural approach and I understand customers don't need to do anything ahead of the change in July.
"Severn Trent have confirmed to me that they will be writing to everyone to explain the proposed changes in the coming weeks and my job will be to ensure that the customer's voice continues to be heard and disruption is kept to an absolute minimum."
Sarah Bentley, Chief Customer Officer at Severn Trent, said:
“The wonderful water you get and the great customer service you’re used will stay the same, the key changes are that all our Welsh customers will be part of a Welsh company, and our English customers will be part of an English company.
“The change will allow us to ensure that we bring the best of both companies together and also ensure we have the right local focus for our customers in each country.
“There’s nothing that our customers need to do. We will be sending out information about the launch of Hafren Dyfrdwy or the move to Severn Trent over the coming weeks – and customers can carry on enjoying their water in the same way they always have.”