Households in England and Wales will see the largest increase to their water bills in almost 20 years from April when they rise to an average £448 a year. Industry body Water UK said the 7.5% increase would see customers pay around £1.23 per day on average – an increase of 8p per day or an average £31 more on last year’s charges.
Consumer groups warned the rise could prove the tipping point for the one in five customers already struggling to pay. But Water UK argued that water bills remained lower in real terms than they were a decade ago and said this year’s increase reflected higher energy costs, with water firms using around 2% of the nation’s electricity.
Firms were set to invest a further £70 billion to “eliminate harm” from storm overflows and increase water supplies by building new reservoirs and national water transfer schemes, it said, adding that they were “acutely aware of the impact of price rises on lower income and vulnerable customers” and had recently increased the level of support they offered by more than £200 million.
