A fifth of UK consumers choose everyday service providers - such as mobile phone, utilities and broadband companies - solely based on the perks and benefits they offer, according to new research from Echo Managed Services.

Ofwat has warned that a post-Brexit scenario which foresees higher inflation, lower interest rates and lower growth, at the same time as their customers become poorer and find it harder to pay their bills, could pose a very significant challenge for the water sector in terms of customer legitimacy.