Scottish farmers give evidence to Parliament over disappointment with Scottish Water

NFU Scotland has expressed disappointment at its members' Scottish Water issues
NFU Scotland has expressed disappointment at its members' Scottish Water issues

Farmers in Scotland have provided evidence to the Scottish Parliament surrounding issues with Scottish Water and Scottish Water Business Stream over bad business practices, including issues with aggressive debt collection.

Members of farming union NFU Scotland provided evidence to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, and has now submitted a list of case studies collated from farmers' experiences.

Gemma Cooper, NFU Scotland’s Legal and Technical Policy Manager commented: “NFU Scotland has been working with Scottish Water for some time now on member issues. Whilst our experience with Scottish Water is not perfect, we have certainly seen improvements from having a dedicated point of contact which we can refer member issues to.

“We were pleased that a good number of members came forward to speak to us about issues they had experienced with Scottish Water or Scottish Water Business Stream, and we thank them for this.

“Disappointingly, our members have easily been able to give us a range of examples of where they feel Business Stream is falling short and providing a very poor level of service.

“Scottish Water Business Stream is a licenced provider of water in Scotland, and supplies many farms. Our members have reported they have experienced issues in having problems resolved, often for months or even years, despite the fact they have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to remedy their particular issue.

“Problems with meter reading, having money refunded, poor communication, and aggressive debt collection tactics have also been reported to us. We are hopeful that we can work with Business Stream not only to resolve these issues, but also to try to ensure that in future they do not reoccur.”