ANGRY people across Hampshire are flooding Southern Water with requests for an £18 rebate after the Daily Echo revealed the company was overcharging.

On April 21, we reported that about 500,000 homes in the region might not have to pay the charge for surface water drainage because their rainwater from roofs soaks into the ground and did not use sewers.

The story has struck a chord with Hampshire residents, many of whom have phoned and written to the paper thanking us for highlighting the charge, which water companies have had to show on their bills for the first time this year.

A spokeswoman for Southern Water said applications for a rebate had risen from a trickle of only 3,000 in March to "significantly more".

She said figures were not available and added: "There has been an increase since your article and it has helped raise awareness and supplemented our own publicity."

But customers can only get the rebate this year and not for previous years, under guidelines agreed with watchdog Ofwat.

They forced the water companies to show the charge, which is automatic unless customers apply for a rebate and fill out a diagram showing where the water goes.

Water bosses have said they do not know who uses their sewers or who uses a soakaway on their own property so that is why they ask customers to fill out the form.

Even so, the company could have wrongly collected £9 million from customers after admitting 500,000 homes out of 1.7 million may not need to pay.

One Winchester resident, Jeff Riley, is so angry at what he considers is a scandal he has distributed 35 rebate forms to neighbours and friends and is telling everyone they can claim back their cash if rainwater soaks away on their property.

People with water butts to collect surface water that do not have diverting valves into the sewer system are also exempt.

Mr Riley, 66, from South View mobile home park in Oliver's Battery, said: "I am incensed by it and the more I readabout it in the Echo the more angry I got. I have phoned friends and relatives to tell them to get their money back.

"It's a scandal that they are taking this money and it's down to the Echo for showing us. It's a good paper and anything that gets money away from Southern Water's £262 million profits has to be a good thing."

Mr Riley has also written to a mobile home and retired people magazines to tell them about the charge in the hope more people will try for a rebate.

Martin Nash, from Wellow, near Romsey, wrote into the paper after he got a rebate.

He said: "We had not spotted Southern Water's error and are very grateful to the Echo for bringing this to our attention."

Householders should ring 0845 272 0845 to get a form to claim the refund.

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