Accessibility

Making our website easy to use for everyone is important to us and we’re committed to looking for ways to improve accessibility.

Here’s how we’ve made our website accessible, including the ways we can support you if you need extra help and the different ways to contact us. 

Compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Level A) 

The website is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 Level A standard (opens new window). These guidelines define a list of requirements to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

Recite Me toolbar

Recite Me is an accessibility toolbar, that lets you customise our website in a way that works best for you. To use the toolbar, simply click ‘Accessibility tools’ in the top right corner. 

With Recite Me, you can:

• Read text aloud
• Translate text
• Change font style, size and colour
• Skip forward and rewind paragraphs of text
• Remove images and view in plain text mode
• Magnify text and use a dictionary

Find out more about Recite Me (opens new window)

Supported Browsers

This website is designed to be compatible with assistive technologies and the last two versions of major browsers.

In Internet Explorer 10, 11, and older browsers, some aspects of the website may not display optimally. The website is not designed for Internet Explorer 9 and earlier versions.

Technical specifications

Accessibility of this website relies on the following technologies to work with the combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Our accessibility journey is continuing, and we regularly review our website and its content to identify and fix known issues, as we know some parts of the website many are not fully accessible. We’re committed to reaching the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standard.

Reporting accessibility issues

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our website. If you need any help or find any content that you cannot access, please call 0345 733 5566, and we’ll do everything we can to help.

Accessibility off the website – additional support

Priority Services Register

We offer a range of extra support services to help make life easier for customers with additional needs, including:

• Bills in braille, large print, audio CD or Easy read
• Water delivered to you if have limited mobility or you need water for medical needs in the event of a disruption to your supply
• Extra time to answer the door so we will know to wait when we visit you
• Meter reads if you’re unable to access or read your meter
• Translation service 
• Password scheme to protect your home from scammers
• Nominate family or a carer to manage your account

Register for Priority Services

Text Relay 

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have any speech difficulties and use a textphone, you can access our Text Relay service by dialling 18001 followed by one of our numbers. You can find our contact numbers here.

Video chat with a British sign language interpreter

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can get in touch with us using the Sign Solutions video link or app (opens new window), and they'll translate to a member of our team while you're on the phone.

The service is free to use and is available 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.