Five water companies appeal against Ofwat’s curb on bill rises

Anglian Water wants to raise bills from £491 to £649 between 2025 and 2030 so it can invest in its water and sewerage infrastructure. Photograph: Graham Turner/The Guardian

Five more water companies have asked the UK’s competition watchdog to allow them to raise bills even higher than they have been allowed to the end of the decade.

Southern Water, Anglian Water, South East Water, Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water said on Tuesday that they had asked Ofwat, the water regulator for England and Wales, to refer its ruling on their business plans for 2025 to 2030 to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).