A NORTHWICH man has vowed to go to court over a row with United Utilities about what he claims is a hidden charge.

Three and a half years ago Bryan Dearden, 74, of Cuddington, first noticed he was being billed incorrectly.

Households are charged more if rain and waste water drains back into United Utilities-owned sewers to be retreated, but Mr Dearden’s runs off into a soakaway.

He said someone from United Utilities came to his home in Boundary Road North and agreed that he should not be paying for the service and issued a rebate dated to April of that year.

But Mr Dearden wanted it backdating for the 10 years he spent ‘unwittingly’ paying the charge.

After a three-year argument with United Utilities, which he says is refusing to compromise, he stopped paying the bills in protest.

He now faces legal action at Northwich County Court for seven-months of missed payments but is sticking to his guns.

Mr Dearden, who has been a resident of Northwich for 50 years said: “I stopped paying my bill six months ago as a matter of principle. There must be tens of thousands of people around here paying for this service and not using it because they don’t know about it.

“It’s written in small print at the bottom of the bill so most people don’t notice it. My argument is simple – I am being charged for a service I don’t use.

“United Utilities say they won’t give me my money back because I should have claimed before but it’s them who should know what they are doing. I’ve been summoned to court now for non-payment but I won’t back down.

“Your readers need to be aware so they don’t fall foul of the charge.”

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We have had regular contact with Mr Dearden in regards to this matter and outlined on numerous occasions the policy we have in place, which is approved by the regulator.”