Many small businesses still need more help understanding the new non-household retail water market in England, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater).

United Utilities is using an innovative new kind of market research with a group of customers in Manchester to provide them with an “immersive” experience in a bid to understand the issues that are most important to them.

Water industry regulator Ofwat is inviting mall and medium sized businesses from around the country to help shape the biggest competitive water retail market in the world.

Wessex Water has been working in partnership with Wiltshire Mind to produce an animated mental health awareness video, highlighting the common issues associated with mental ill health.

South Staffs Water has put a a new strategic partnership in place with San Francisco company WaterSmart Software to engage with their end-use customers through a digital analytics and communications platform.

Following on from a consultation in February, Ofwat has now published its finalised principles for a voluntary code of conduct for Third Party Intermediaries (TPIs) to protect customers when the business retail market opens from 1^st April 2017.

Ian Newcombe, Partner at national law firm Bond Dickinson LLP looks at some of the challenges that suppliers in the new retail water market will face and offers some practical tips on how to minimise their impact.

Customers should be seen as active participants in the water sector, not passive recipients, according to Ofwat Chief Executive, Cathryn Ross.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has said that water industry regulator Ofwat needs to work with Government to build the evidence base for extending competition to the household water retail market before Ministers make the decision on whether to proceed.

Severn Trent’s ‘Help When You Need It’ scheme has more than quadrupled the number of customers receiving support with their water bills over the past two years.