UK households who pay a water bill warned they must pay £448 charge

Water bills are set to increase by at least 20 per cent. Labour Party MP and Environment Secretary Steve Reed has admitted that people will be “angry” with these increased costs by up to £100 by 2029, in a major blow to UK households. On Thursday, independent regulator Ofwat is set to announce that bills will rise by more than a fifth of current charges in the next five years.

Consequently, the average bill payer will have to shell out £20 more each year, with the average bill each year increasing from £448 by the end of the decade. The Consumer Council for Water (CCW), which represents households, said it was concerned that rising bills would make water unaffordable and that Ofwat should make companies step up support. Mike Keil, the CCW’s chief executive, said: “There needs to be far greater ambition from some water companies in providing support to households who are not going to be able to afford these large bill rises.



READ MORE All the dates in December snow will hit UK with England facing five days' worth “Companies’ existing plans fall short of meeting the commitment they previously made to end water poverty in England by 2030 and Ofwat should push them harder to deliver on this.” Tom MacInnes, the director of policy at Citizens Advice, said companies should work with the government to ensure that vulnerable people receive more help. “We know water firms need to fund investment, but many households will struggle to shoulder these price rises,” he said.

“Social tariffs for water – cheaper rates for those who need them – should be the safety net. The problem is there’s a postcode lottery for this support and our advisers report that people often don’t know about the tariffs, or face hurdles applying for them.” Water UK, an industry lobby group, said CCW’s polling showed 75% support for investment to “support economic growth, build more homes, secure our water supplies and end sewage entering our rivers and seas”.

“We urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure,” a spokesperson said. “However, we understand bill rises are never welcome, and water companies are massively increasing the level of financial support they offer to customers. “Currently more than 2m households receive some level of support, including payment breaks, reduced tariffs and debt relief, and this number is set to increase to more than 3m in the next five years.

” An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “All spills are assessed to identify any noncompliance, and we will always pursue and prosecute companies that are deliberately obstructive or misleading, and take action if they are found to have breached the conditions of their permits. “We are also increasing our water company inspections fourfold this year, with up to 500 additional staff, and making better use of data and intelligence to inform our work and hold water companies to account. We cannot comment further on live investigations until enforcement is complete.

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