A grandmother is angry at being told she must lose a cupboard in her kitchen to fit a water meter.

Thames Water is rolling out its compulsory smart metering programme across Swanscombe and Dartford.

And while the meter is small, Christine Evans who lives in Milton Street, Swanscombe, is set to lose a whole cupboard in her tiny kitchen as the company demands it must be installed in her home.

She said: “When they first came to do a survey they said it had to be in the kitchen, which is tiny.

“They said it is only as big as a coke can but the plumbing required will result in me losing a kitchen cabinet, which is just not acceptable in such a small space.

“I feel I am being bullied by Thames Water, I have no issue with having a meter, just the siting of it.

"They are being very unhelpful and just put me onto their legal team, which means just being on hold then being cut off.

“They told me if I ignored their demands they would keep writing to me. When you talk to them they are just patronising and officious”

“Can they force me to have it fitted inside my home and in this specific space?”

The 76-year-old lives in a terrace of three houses and says her neighbours are equally unhappy, with one being told he will need to have tiles removed from his newly fitted bathroom in order to fit the meter.

Christine, who has lived in her house for 40 years, said: “We just want it fitted outside.”

The move is part of a bid from Thames Water to "incentivise customers to use water wisely, as they will only be charged for the water they use."

This week, the company which was on the verge of collapse in June after the CEO quit, was one of six facing legal action over claims they underreported pollution and overcharged customers.

The roll out has also upset people in nearby Temple Hill in Dartford after they received a blanket letter from Thames Water informing them they will be having meters installed in their homes.

Suzanne Phillips, of Invicta Road, is unhappy with the idea as she knows it will make her bill rocket.

She said: “We haven’t changed to the meter yet but have been shown a predicted water bill if it was on a meter. At present, after four months, my bill is £292.24 but this would rise to £504.13 on a meter.”

Ward councillor and shadow deputy council leader Kelly Grehan has written a strongly-worded open letter to Thames Water CEO Sir Ian Montague accusing the company of profit-making and delivering a poor service whilst expecting residents to pay more for water.

“They are the fairest option for customers, as people only pay for the water they use...”

She said: “I find it hard to accept that this move is motivated by the need to save water and I have seen no evidence of serious help to aid residents in water conservation.

Instead, she cited repeated water leaks in the area as a factor which needed addressing.

She added: “Leaks are a continual presence in our area – some taking ridiculous amounts of time to fix.

“It is disappointing that Thames Water continues to provide a poor service to Dartford residents and that water meters now mean most residents will pay more for water.”

A Thames Water spokesman said: “Our compulsory smart metering programme is currently active in Dartford and Swanscombe.

“All customers who do not have a water meter will be contacted about receiving one.

“Where it is not possible to fit a water meter outside, we will aim to fit one inside our customers’ home (usually below the kitchen sink or in a utility cupboard).

“Under legislation, consumers cannot refuse a smart meter, however, we’d like to assure customers that we’ll always assess the suitability of a meter for each property.

“If a meter cannot be fitted, customers move to our Assessed Household Charge tariff, which is based on the number of rooms at the property. There is also a single occupancy charge for those who live alone.

“Smart meters incentivise customers to use water wisely, as they will only be charged for the water they use.

“They also help us to tackle customer side leaks and protect water supplies in the process.

“They are the fairest option for customers, as people only pay for the water they use. On average metered customers tend to use 12% less water.”

The spokesman said Thames Water offers “WaterSure and WaterHelp” schemes to help support low-income or water dependent households with their bills.

Customers with questions or concerns about the smart meter rollout should call the company’s customer service team on 0800 3169800.