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Regulation 17IC Reading of metersF1F2

(1)

The English service provider must read a customer’s relevant meter—

(a)

at least once before the end of the period of 13 months beginning with the relevant date, and

(b)

at least once in each successive period of 13 months.

(2)

If the English service provider fails, without a reasonable excuse, to read a customer’s relevant meter in a 13-month period as required by paragraph (1), it must pay the customer—

(a)

£40, if it is the first time that the English service provider has failed, without a reasonable excuse, to read the customer’s meter as required by that paragraph;

(b)

£80, if it is the second or subsequent time that the English service provider has failed, without a reasonable excuse, to read the customer’s meter as required by that paragraph.

(3)

For the purposes of this regulation, an English service provider has a reasonable excuse for failing to read a customer’s relevant meter as required by paragraph (1) if, in particular, it is prevented from doing so in the 13-month period by—

(a)

the customer—

(i)

refusing it, or any person acting on its behalf, admission to the premises for the purposes of reading the meter, or

(ii)

obstructing it, or any person acting in its behalf, in their attempts to read the meter,

(b)

industrial action by any of its employees, or

(c)

the act or default of a person other than—

(i)

the customer;

(ii)

an officer of the English service provider;

(iii)

an employee of the English service provider;

(iv)

an agent of the English service provider;

(v)

a person acting on behalf of the customer;

(vi)

a person acting on behalf of the English service provider;

(vii)

a person acting on behalf of an agent of the English service provider.

(4)

For the purposes of this regulation—

  • “relevant date”—

    1. (a)

      in relation to a meter installed before 1st October 2025, means 1st October 2025;

    2. (b)

      in relation to a meter installed on or after that date, means the day on which the meter is installed;

  • “relevant meter” means a meter, other than a smart meter, for measuring the volume of water supplied to any premises;

  • “smart meter” means a meter that is installed to record water supplied to any premises, that can be read without having direct access to the meter installation and that can record data at least every 24 hours.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

Pt. 3 inserted (1.4.2017) by The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/246), regs. 1(1), 7 (with reg. 9)

F2

Regs. 17IA-17IF inserted (2.7.2025 for specified purposes, 1.10.2025 in so far as not already in force) by The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/662), regs. 1(2)(d)(3), 13(1) (with regs. 17, 18)