A DISCREET portal to help those experiencing domestic abuse access specialist help and advice has been added to Welsh Water’s website.

Statistics from police forces across Wales and England showed a seven per cent increase in domestic abuse reports last summer.

Welsh Water, which is the only not-for-profit water company in England and Wales has now lent its support to the ‘Online Safe Spaces’ initiative in a bid to support victims.

The company has added a discreet button at the bottom of all the pages of its website.

The button directs users to free specialist domestic abuse support’.

Victims can access a directory of specialist support services and helplines, complete a questionnaire to assess the safety of their relationship, and access information on sexual violence, stalking and harassment.

The technology, which was developed by Royal Mail, can be used in the confidence that the webpage does not appear in internet browsing history and has an immediate exit function should victims need to close down the page quickly.

Martin Driscoll, Welsh Water's director of people and workforce, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers and our employees is at the heart of everything we do at Welsh Water.

“Domestic abuse can be incredibly isolating, and we want to do all we can to help victims and make it as easy as possible for them to safely access the help they need.

“Including a link to the Online Safe Spaces portal on our website helps to increase the number of opportunities for victims to safety access professional support. We’re pleased and proud to be able to offer this to anyone visiting our website”

The Online Safe Spaces portal can be found on www.dwrymru.com.