Thames Water, the country’s largest water company serving 15 million customers in London and the Thames Valley, has launched a new TV advertising campaign putting customer concerns up front and centre.

The campaign will focus what  is doing to address the main areas of customer dissatisfaction including:

• leaking pipes
• customer service
• building resilience into the network to safeguard future water resources

The investments the company is making are part of Thames Water’s drive to improve customer service, the bedrock of the company’s turnaround plan led by its commitment to fix the basics, raise the bar and shape the future.

The advertising campaign puts the customer at the heart of the story. ‘It’s Everyone’s Water’ uses a puppet character to voice customer concerns and challenges the company to do better.

Based on customer research, the campaign employs a new approach to focus on issues its customers care most about from fixing leaks to building future resilience into an aging network.

The first advert in the series puts the spotlight on the company’s strategy to upgrade its water network. Challenged by the puppet, Thames Water engineers explain how the company is harnessing technology to reinforce its pipes using methods that reduce roadwork disruption now, whilst ensuring the pipes are fit for purpose for years to come.

Thames Water’s retail director David Bird said:

“As a company we know we have to do better for our customers and the environment. We are in the early stages of a turnaround plan and our teams are laser-focused on the three areas most important to our customers: improving our leakage performance, improving customer service and reducing storm discharges.

“But that’s not enough, with the pressures of climate change and a growing population we must plan ahead and ensure our network is not only efficient today, but resilient enough to handle the challenges of the future. No matter who you are, we all need water. It belongs to everyone – from people to wildlife, businesses to schools, and we’re committed to safeguarding it for us all.

“Our purpose is to provide life’s essential service and keep the taps flowing for future generations. This campaign is an important part of informing and engaging our customers and communities on this journey.”

Thames Water said investment projects to fix the basics are already well underway, including:

Water network projects - between 2022-2025, the company is investing £200 million to replace water mains. In London this includes mains replacement in Hackney, Greenwich and north- east London and across the Thames Valley in Guildford, Oxford and Swindon.

Fixing leaks – last year, the company experienced setbacks to its leaks repair programme due to the impact of the severe drought. This year it has ramped up work to tackle leaks, fixing 1,300 a week – that’s one every 7.5 minutes.

Sewage network projects –Thames Water is undertaking the largest ever upgrade of the sewers and sewage treatment works in London and the Thames Valley by upgrading more than 250 of its sites. This commitment builds on its recent pledge to double investment in sewage related infrastructure from the previous two years by spending £1.6 billion over the next two years - an investment that will significantly reduce storm discharges and pollution incidents.

Customer service - Thames Water recently completed the onshoring of its customer service call centre from South Africa to Swindon, bringing this critical facility back in-house and creating 200 local jobs in the process. The UK call centre will provide an improved and more reliable service to its 15 million customers. The company has already seen a 60% decrease in household complaints since the turnaround plan was launched two years ago.