by Martin Jefferies

Complaints about one of Kent's water companies have soared by nearly 60 per cent, according to a report out today.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) said there were 13,095 customer complaints to South East Water between April 2011 and March 2012 – up from 8,232 the year before.

It means the company had 147 complaints for every 10,000 customers – more than any other firm and almost three times the national average.

The report reveals the majority of complaints (69%) were over billing and charges.

It also shows a 561% rise in complaints in just seven years. The national average is just 14%.

South East Water, which supplies more than two million customers, admitted the figures were "disappointing" but said its performance is improving.

Steve George, director of customer services, said: "Our responses to customer enquiries were delayed in the early part of last year, leading to higher numbers of customers contacting us, which can often then become classified as a complaint.

"We're pleased our service has returned to the improving trends we'd been working hard to deliver. We can reassure our customers of the efforts we're making to fix their issues, quickly and first time.

"The results we're seeing for 2012 show we're back on track to see our lowest level of customer complaints in five years."

Meanwhile, Southern Water was ranked as the third-worst performing company in England and Wales when complaints were compared to its customer base.

It notched up 64 complaints per 10,000 customers and 12,863 overall – up 4% on the previous year and 426% on 2004-5.

A spokesman said the firm had taken major steps to improve its customer service, and had seen a 75% drop in written complaints since 2007/8.

She said the company continually strived to improve its service to customers, and had created a business improvement plan, which focussed on customer satisfaction.

Thames Water received 34,466 complaints last year – a rise of 13% from 2010-11 but a fall of 3% from seven years ago.

Across England and Wales, customer complaints fell by almost 12 per cent last year, reaching their lowest level since 2005. It is the fourth year in a row figures have fallen.

Tony Smith, chief executive of CCWater, said: "While most companies have made clear efforts to improve their service, there are still some that need to take action to address their high complaint levels.

"While water is currently a monopoly industry, companies must not rest on their laurels and assume they can get away with delivering poor service.

"Today's consumer expects more than that and we'll continue to support them in demanding a consistently good level of service across the country."