Sky High Water Bills Probed by Welsh Government

The Senedd has agreed to investigate a scandal that left elderly residents at a mobile park homes site drowning in sky-high water bills due to years of neglect and leaky pipes.

The move follows residents’ appeals for help after Welsh Water failed to act over five million litres draining from corroded pipework at Willow Park in Mancot, Flintshire.

Monthly bills soared to £68 because the water company failed to demand that site owner Wyldecrest fix the problem. Although the firm—owned by ‘Britain’s richest gypsy’, Alfie Best—has now begun remedial work, residents at Willow Park want individual water meters installed to prevent future exploitation.

Cllr Sam Swash, who has supported residents’ efforts, said: “Let’s be clear, Wyldecrest have been forced to repair the leaking pipes on Willow Park as a result of Flintshire Council refusing to provide them with a licence – this had nothing to do with Welsh Water, but I very much suspect they will try to claim credit for it in their response to the Petitions Committee and suggest there is no ongoing problem.

“Welsh Water should be explicitly asked by the Committee to explain their lack of meaningful action over many years on this matter, and I will ask for this when I am next given the opportunity to submit a response.”

Cllr Swash also criticised Ofwat for failing to close the loophole that allows residents to be unfairly charged through a practice known as recharging, where park owners divide a single site bill among all tenants. “The Ofwat regulations on recharging are not fit for purpose,” he said. “They could—and should—change the methods for recharging to stop this loophole being exploited.”

Residents argue that the system gives park owners no incentive to fix leaks, as any losses are passed straight on to homeowners.

Ken Pierce, chair of the Willow Park Residents’ Association, said: “Welsh Water should have insisted the site owner install new pipes to solve the problem and conserve water. Instead, they allowed Wyldecrest to pass on these extortionate bills.”

Ken secretly installed several meters and discovered that bills of up to £68 should have been less than £20. This forced Wyldecrest—the UK’s biggest mobile homes operator—to begin replacing the ageing pipework. The work is thought to cost up to £200,000, though that may not trouble Wyldecrest’s tax-exile boss Alfie Best, reportedly worth £745 million in the latest Sunday Times Rich List.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, said: “If charges are high due to leakage, residents have the right to ask their water company to investigate. If a leak is found, the company will serve notice on the site owner to repair it. Reducing leakage is a priority for water companies.”

However, at Willow Park, residents say their pleas to Welsh Water fell on deaf ears.

Last year, Welsh Water were fined £40 million by the regulator for misleading claims over how it handled leakages.

An Ofwat spokesperson said:“Anybody who resells water or sewerage services must charge no more than the amount they are charged by the water company.”