06/10/2026
Another update on water pressure for anyone in Walton-on-Thames and the surrounding areas.
Back in June I wrote to our MP, Monica Harding, asking whether the Government would review the minimum water pressure that water companies have to supply. She took it up for me, and I have now had the reply from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I want to thank her office for pushing it.
The short version is that the Government looked at the standard in 2025 and decided not to change it. The minimum is still around 0.7 bar at your boundary, which was set when nearly every house had a tank in the loft. The letter does not give a reason, and it does not say what pressure a home should actually be getting.
Much of the reply is about how to test your own pressure, water efficiency labels and heat pumps in new builds. My concern is the homes we already live in, most of which are now fed straight off the mains, with combi boilers, unvented cylinders and showers that generally need around 1.5 bar or more to work as intended. Interestingly, the letter itself says heat pumps must be set up to the manufacturer's minimum water pressure, while nothing requires that pressure to be supplied. That is the gap in a nutshell.
There is one useful thing in it. Compensation for low pressure has gone up, with payments of up to £250. The letter does not explain how to get it, so here is what I understand. A payment is due if your pressure drops below the minimum standard twice, for more than an hour each time, within 28 days. It is meant to be paid automatically, but if it is not, you need to claim from Thames Water or Affinity Water within three months. The catch is that it is tied to the same 0.7 bar minimum, so a house that is above that but still cannot run its boiler or shower properly may not qualify. If you have had poor pressure, it is still worth asking Thames Water or Affinity Water whether you are owed a payment.
The other thing to keep doing is reporting low pressure to Thames Water or Affinity Water and asking to be put on the low pressure register. The threshold for that is higher than the legal minimum and the register is reported to the regulator, so every report counts.
I have written back to Monica Harding asking for straight answers: why the standard was left alone, what pressure the Government thinks a home actually needs, and exactly how people claim compensation. I will share the reply when I get it.
If you are one of our customers and we are coming out to work at your house, ask about a free water test when you book in. We need an outside tap, and you keep the readings to send to Thames Water or Affinity Water yourself.
If you have had low pressure, or have asked Thames Water or Affinity Water about compensation, comment below and let us know how you got on.
