Increasing numbers of Brits are applying for financial assistance paying their water bills during the recession, according to the Consumer Council for Water.
Water customers, such as those with a bad credit rating, are looking more carefully at ways they can save money during the recession, according to the watchdog's policy manager Andy White.
He explained: "In the two years since we began that project there has been an 80 per cent increase, so that's all a great start in making the scheme more accessible and raising awareness."
Mr White added that the increased uptake is also likely to be down to improved promotion by water companies, which now operate under the common WaterSure scheme name.
Every water company is obliged to offer a WaterSure tariff, which caps bills at the local average regardless of water usage.
Households that receive benefits and contain more than three children in full-time education are eligible, as are people with a medical condition that entails significant water use.
