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A castle view from across a body of water

Private Supplies Complaints

If you have visited a premises with a private supply and were not happy with the quality of the water, or you have a private supply and are having difficulties with your supply you should contact the environmental health department of the local authority where the supply is located.

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received from a local authority, you should contact them to follow their complaints process. If, on conclusion of the complaints process, you are still unsatisfied, please see our guidance document on Complaining about Drinking Water Quality for further information. Customer complaints determination can be found DWQR Complaint Determinations | DWQR.

DWQR and the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) have a potentially overlapping jurisdiction in terms of water supply complaints.  DWQR is responsible for ensuring the quality of drinking water in Scotland and will consider complaints from members of the public about water quality as set out in our guidance document on Complaining about Drinking Water Quality.  The SPSO can consider complaints from members of the public about their water supply where there is a claim of injustice or hardship as a result of maladministration or service failure on the part of a local authority. More information on making a complaint to SPSO can be found on their website via the link Scottish Public Services Ombudsman