Severn Trent giving £1m to help vulnerable through coronavirus crisis

The water company, which has its headquarters in Coventry, is making the money available to charities and community groups that are making a difference and helping those struggling as a result of the outbreak

Severn Trent said it was already supporting customers who were having difficulty paying their bill

Liv Garfield, Severn Trent chief executive, said: “Even though we’re out there on the frontline keeping water flowing and taking waste water away, we knew we could do more for our communities by going above and beyond the support we already offer.

“We already help tens of thousands of customers who are struggling to pay their bills or who are vulnerable for some reason. This new fund is designed to help as many people as possible by giving support to the community projects and charities helping those most in need during these difficult times.

“We want to get the money out there as quickly as possible so it can start to make a difference right away. Hopefully that’ll give at least some of our customers a little peace of mind before things start to improve.”

The company will work with UK Community Foundations, a national federation of community groups, councils for voluntary service and local authorities across the region to help identify which organisations are in most need of support in the Midlands.

“We want to get the money out there as quickly as possible so it can start to make a difference right away,” said Liv.

“Hopefully that’ll give at least some of our customers a little peace of mind before things start to improve.”

Severn Trent teams are either out on the front line, making sure the pipes and treatment works supplying water to, and taking waste water from, millions of people, including the region’s key workers, hospitals and care facilities, are working well, or supporting customers and front line colleagues and making sure everyone has one less thing to worry about.

Alongside the day-to-day work, the company has also put out a call for customers who are vulnerable in any way, or who live with someone who’s vulnerable, to join the priority services register.

That means that, if they experience an issue with their water, Severn Trent will give them all the support they need.

There is also financial support available through a number of schemes that thousands of customers are already taking advantage of.

The WaterSure Scheme can help if a customer’s income is low and they use a lot of water, which makes managing their account and payments difficult.