South West Water said it has now recruited more staff

South West Water has come in for criticism from the regional watchdog for teething problems with its new call-answering system.

Regional watchdog WaterVoice South West said it has received a large number of calls from frustrated customers who have had difficulties contacting South West Water on its helpline numbers.

Many people just experience a ringing tone when they try to call.

We're now answering 3,500 calls per day so the situation is improving Monica Read, South West Water

Between December 2002 and February this year WaterVoice said complaints about South West Water rose 70%, compared to the same period last year.

Gillian Johnston from Watervoice said the group had put pressure on the company to address the difficulties.

"We've been on to them right from the start," she said.

"Customers are just left frustrated and sometimes quite distressed because some of the calls customers make are because they have a real worry about their account."

More enquiries

The company admitted it has had problems with a new billing system, which has generated more enquiries.

But Monica Read from South West Water said things are getting better.

""We've recruited and trained additional call handlers and we're now answering 3,500 calls per day so the situation is improving.