POLITICIANS from three rival parties are joining forces to condemn a water company which has charged its customers tens of millions of pounds since privatisation for a service they did not receive.

Liberal Democrat Norman Baker and David Lepper from the Labour Party, who represents Brighton Pavilion, plan to put down an early day motion in the House of Commons blasting Southern Water for charging customers for the drainage of surface water.

Tory MP Peter Bottomley, who represents West Worthing, has also joined the attack, branding the company's behaviour "a disgrace."

The Argus revealed yesterday how the Worthing-based firm has been charging its 593,000 Sussex customers about £18 a year for the

service. A high proportion of them do not need the company to dispose of the water as it simply drains away into soakaway systems. However, all have been paying for the service and many are now demanding full refunds.

Since the company took over providing water and sewage treatment in the county in 1989, it is believed to have charged tens of

millions of pounds for

the service.

The charging by water companies in England and Wales only came to light when Ofwat ordered them to give customers a breakdown of what they were paying for in their bills.

Mr Baker, who represents Lewes, said: "Myself and David Lepper are going to see if we can put together a motion in Parliament to ask Southern Water to repay the money. Unfortunately we can't demand them to. They should repay everyone affected."

A Southern Water spokeswoman said: "Although the cost of this has been spread out equally among customers, now it will be spread among customers connected to the main system who will pay slightly more.

"We cannot go back to customers over the past ten years and ask them to pay more."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.