Keir Starmer urged to act on water bill rises in England and Wales

The letter says Labour ‘could be fighting the next election with some bills topping £915 a year and sewage a greater threat to our health than ever’. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Trade unions, celebrities and river activists are calling on the new UK government to halt attempts by the water industry to raise customer bills in England and Wales by up to 91% and immediately start a root-and-branch review of water ownership.

The author Michael Rosen and comedians Nish Kumar and Stephen Fry joined campaigners from Greenpeace, Surfers Against Sewage, River Action, the Rivers Trust and activists across the country in signing a letter to Keir Starmer urging him to step in, days before the regulator Ofwat is to announce whether it will approve huge increases in customer bills across England and Wales.