Water UK has said that household water bills in England and Wales are to set to rise from April by an average of 5.4%.
This equates to £33 for the average household and there has been growing anger as water companies are increasing water bulls to pay for decades of underinvestment for upgrades.
Water UK chief executive David Henderson said, “We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult. That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”
The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) “We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.
“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
“That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”
Ofwat interim chief executive Chris Walters said, “By April 2027 we are expecting water companies to have installed more than eight million water meters in homes to help customers manage their bills, to have replaced almost 3,000km of piping that will ensure customers experience fewer supply disruptions, and reduce sewage spills from storm overflows by 30% from 2024 levels.
“These are just three examples that will help us reach our collective goal of cleaner rivers and seas, more resilient water supplies and better services for customers and the environment.
“However, we also recognise that these bill increases may be difficult for some people. That is why we approved a doubling of company support available for customers who are struggling to pay and now more than two million households are accessing this help.”
River Action chief executive James Wallace said, “When the water sector brags about ‘record investment’, what it really means is that bill payers, not water companies, are being forced to pick up the tab for decades of failure.
“The privatised, pollution-for-profit model has failed. Until water companies are owned and governed for public and environmental benefit, using long-term patient capital, we will keep seeing regulatory failure and polluted rivers.”
