Scottish Water has made changes to its phone number so it is now free to call from any line – mobiles or landlines.

The new number is 0800 0778778, and is free to call form all lines as of the 1st of July. Old numbers will continue to work, but the utility firm is urging customers to use the new number.

Many organisations use Freephone numbers – starting 0800 or 0808 – for people to contact them. Historically, the calls have generally been free when dialled from a landline, but mobile users are usually charged for calling them.

From 1 July 2015, as part of the UK Calling changes, all numbers starting 0800 or 0808 are free for consumers to call from mobile phones, as they are from landlines.

Scottish Water supplies water from Shetland to Stranraer - to every corner of Scotland. When customers call, they are connected to the utility firm’s Edinburgh contact centre – with no menus – and can immediately speak to an advisor who can instantly pull information from the system and update the customer there and then.

Mark McEwen, Customer Service General Manager, said:

“We’re keen that customers who choose to contact us by phone are able to get through quickly and at no cost to themselves. We are signed up fully to making this a reality and can now say that any customer who calls us from any type of line in Scotland will be connected free of charge. “

The move is part of the national UK Calling initiative which is introducing the biggest change to telephone calls in over a decade.