AN angry North Yorkshire resident is demanding a water company returns money he paid out for drainage services.

Gerald Allen, of Saxty Way, Thirsk, said he paid Yorkshire Water £167 to use its sewers to remove surface water.

The former North Yorkshire Police superintendent paid £30 a year between 2000 and October.

But he now says his surface water was not taken away by Yorkshire Water over this time.

Mr Allen, 58, says Yorkshire Water has only reimbursed him £17 for the money he paid.

He said: "It is unbelievable. I pay my due, but I don't expect to be treated like this.

"My neighbour found out he was not connected to Yorkshire Water sewers for his surface water.

"I rang them up and asked if my surface water went to the sewers, and they said that if my neighbour's didn't, they assumed mine didn't.

"Yorkshire Water said it tells people they may not be connected to the sewers on the back of their bill, but it's hard to find.

"But Yorkshire Water only pays back money from the April for the year in which you make the claim.

"I can't believe they will not backdate the money, as I have paid to them for a service they haven't provided. There must be hundreds of properties being charged £30 a year for nothing."

Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, who covers the Vale of York, has taken up the case.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: "If surface water from a property does not enter a public sewer, they may qualify for a reduction in surface water charges.

"Customers are made aware of these proceedures via annual bills and the customer guides.

"Any application must provide evidence that no surface water from the property enters the public sewer.

"If this evidence is satisfactory, then the customer will not be charged for this on future bills.

"Yorkshire Water, like all water companies, is only obliged to pay rebates for surface water charges from April 1 of the year the claim was made, as per guidelines laid out by the industry regulator Ofwat."