Water bills in England and Wales are set to rise by an average of £123 this year, with the average customer bill increasing from £480 to £603. The increase, confirmed by industry body Water UK, is attributed to the need for investment in water and sewage infrastructure. While some customers, such as those with Bristol Water, will see smaller increases, others, like Southern Water customers, will face a 47% hike. The increases are higher than those initially proposed by regulator Ofwat and have sparked criticism from consumer groups who are calling for stronger support for struggling households.
The rise, confirmed by industry body Water UK, will take the average water and wastewater bill from £480 to £603 for the next year. This equates to an increase of around £10 a month, from £40 to £50.The beleaguered water company serves around 16 million customers in Greater London and southern England. The utility is currently facing £16bn of debt and needs £3.3bn over the next five years to keep running, with money due to run out by late March.
Water UK advised customers to contact their water company directly to see what help was available if they were concerned about the hikes.Every five years, England and Wales’ regional water suppliers submit plans to regulator Ofwat for the upcoming half decade. Prior to the announcement, Ofwat said in December that it had “robustly” examined firms’ requests to raise bills. The regulator, however, gave firms higher bill increases than they asked for in their original business plans.
Water firms face huge costs on improving drains, reservoirs and sewers, meaning they need to spend billions on upgrades. But because they are also privatised, firms also want to turn a profit for shareholders. The investment would help to build nine new reservoirs and nine new water transfer schemes, upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works to reduce pollution and improve and protect more than 15,000 kilometres of rivers across England and Wales.Water UK chief executive David Henderson said: “We understand increasing bills is never welcome and, while we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
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