Water bills set to rise again: Check how much more…

Water bills set to rise again: Check how much more you’ll be paying

The full list of the increase in average water bills in 2026/27 for households in England and Wales has been published by Water UK.

Household water bills across England and Wales will rise by an average of 5.4 per cent from April, the water authority has confirmed.

Average household water bills are set to rise by £33 annually, a hike two percentage points above inflation, sparking renewed public anger over persistent sewage pollution.

Seeing the biggest increase in cash terms are customers of United Utilities, which serves the North West, at an average £57. This is followed by Southern Water (up £55), Hafren Dyfrdwy (up £54) and Severn Trent Water (up £52).

Water UK says the increase will fund a £20 billion investment between 2026/27, aimed at securing supplies and halting discharges into rivers and seas.

However, critics argue firms are passing on costs for upgrades after decades of underinvestment, exacerbating public fury.

Water UK said the cash raised from water bills could only be used to fund infrastructure that had been independently determined to be “new, necessary and value for money”.

A money-back guarantee meant that customer bills would automatically be refunded by the regulator if improvements were not delivered, it said.

The list in full

The list is arranged alphabetically and reads, from left to right: name of company; (in brackets) type of company; average bill in 2026/27; increase in pounds from average bill in 2025/26; percentage change in average bill from 2025/26.

Affinity Water, central region (water-only): £266; up £31 (+13%)

Affinity Water, eastern region (water-only): £280; up £1 (+0.4%)

Affinity Water, south-east region (water-only): £294; up £3 (+1%)

Anglian Water (water & wastewater): £674; up £44 (+7%)

Bournemouth Water (water-only): £205; up £11 (+6%)

Bristol Water (water-only): £264; up £29 (+12%)

Dwr Cymru (water & wastewater): £683; up £31 (+5%)

Essex & Suffolk Water (water-only): £333; up £15 (+5%)

Hafren Dyfrdwy (water & wastewater): £635; up £54 (+9%)

Northumbrian Water (water & wastewater): £535; up £31 (+6%)

Portsmouth Water (water-only): £162; up £13 (+8%)

Severn Trent Water (water & wastewater): £587; up £52 (+10%)