Yorkshire Water Mistakenly Pays Customer £6,800, Later Reclaims Funds

The utility company made two unscheduled payments totaling £6,800 to a customer, initially told them to enjoy the money, then reclaimed it after an investigation.

• Yorkshire Water mistakenly paid £3,500 in May and £3,300 in June into a customer's partner's bank account.
• The customer's bank said it could not stop the payments and told the customer to enjoy the money.
• Yorkshire Water initially said it did not recognize the payment reference and did not think it had made the payment.
• After the Guardian contacted the company, Yorkshire Water reclaimed the money and paid the customer £100 as a thank you.