Burton and Uttoxeter’s Member of Parliament, Kate Kniveton, has condemned the response by South Staffordshire Water to a cyber-attack that has affected at least 249,000 of the utilities company’s customers who pay by direct debit.
In a debate in Parliament, Ms Kniveton said that she had been contacted by many of her own constituents affected by the cyber-attack and concerns for what it might mean to them.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the local MP highlighted that South Staffordshire Water’s correspondence with customers had created further anxiety and burdensome workloads to ensure that their data was not being used maliciously.
The debate was secured by the Member of Parliament for Dudley North, Marco Longhi MP, and asked what support the Government was giving to assist businesses in defending against cyber-attacks and protecting victims of such incidents.
Commenting, Kate Kniveton MP said:
“I can understand how worrying the recent cyber-attack on South Staffs Water is to all affected customers. So far, the response from South Staffs Water has been wholly inadequate, and I am grateful to my West Midlands colleague, Marco Longhi MP, who secured the recent debate on this matter in Parliament.”
“I was pleased to take part in the debate and be able to raise some of the concerns that constituents have brought to me. Residents can be assured that I am taking this matter very seriously, and I will continue to keep those who have contacted me for help updated with any further developments.
