It is estimated 100,000 households in Glasgow were left without water following a major burst main on Tuesday evening.
While the thousands of homes that were cut off have had water restored, many residents had to spend the evening of January 24 without any running water. In the aftermath of the outage, people across the affected areas in Glasgow and Bearsden may be wondering what their rights are - and if they are due any compensation.
Read on for everything that you need to know about your rights when the water goes out, including Scottish Water's responsibilities as well as when you can claim.
Your rights during a 'major incident' - and £90 claim
Scottish Water state that any outage that affects more than 13,500 people will be declared as a "major incident" meaning Glasgow falls under this classification.
In this instance, customers have certain rights, according to the firm's Customer Charter. Scottish Water promise to provide regular updates which can be issued through the following channels:
- social media
- Scottish Water website
- radio
- local TV
- using loudhailers
- leaflets through your door
They also state that they will "provide alternative supplies of water (such as bottled water or static tanks) within 24 hours of declaring a major incident."
Additionally, customers on the confidential additional support register will receive a "reasonable supply" of drinking water.
If customers believe that these promises have not been met, they can claim compensation up to a maximum of £90 per household and incident.
The water firm states that "The level paid will be dependent on your individual circumstances at the time of the incident."
Can I claim compensation for a water outage?
In Scotland, water is paid for through council tax bills, meaning that while people do not pay directly for a water supplier they are paying for their supply.
This means that they are entitled to compensation should there be an unplanned outage, however in this instance not enough time has passed for households to receive that compensation.
When a water main goes out, Scottish Water has 48 hours to respond and repair the damage, resuming supplies as normal.
A Scottish Water document states: "In this case, we promise to restore your water within 48 hours of us finding out.
"If we cannot do this, we will provide you with regular updates on the situation. If your water supply is not restored within these timescales, you can claim £30, then £15 for every 12-hour period after this that you are without water."
For smaller-scale burst pipes, the time in which repairs have to be carried out is shorter. Scottish Water has 12 hours to restore your supply.
If you have already had or have another water outage, you may be able to claim compensation.
Scottish Water states that those who have experienced two unplanned interruptions in the same financial year can apply to claim a payment of 25 percent of your annual water charges.
Scottish Water has a leaflet that shows customers how they can go about making a claim.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here .
