Millions of households are set to see unexpected increases to their water bills after the industry watchdog gave suppliers the provisional go-ahead for an extra £3.4 billion in spending.
Ofwat said five of 13 suppliers across England and Wales are set to be given permission to increase charges for customers to pump in the additional investment by the end of the decade to help upgrade networks to cope with new housing and data centres, and tackle forever chemicals to ensure drinking water is safe and reliable.