Households in England and Wales will see their water bills increase by an average of £33 from April, marking a 5.4% rise to £639 per year. The increase, approved by regulator Ofwat, is intended to fund repairs to leaking pipes and sewage treatment works, amid public outrage over sewage spills into rivers and seas.
Southern Water customers face the highest average bill at £759, while United Utilities customers in north-west England will see the biggest increase of £57. Thames Water, the crisis-hit supplier to London and the Thames Valley, will add the smallest increase of £3, having already imposed most of its five-year rise last year. Individual bills vary based on usage and property size.
Ofwat has granted water companies permission to spend a record £104bn between 2025 and 2030 on infrastructure upgrades, with customers covering half the cost. The 5.4% rise is two percentage points above December's inflation rate, following a £123 surge last year.
Campaign group River Action is taking the government to court, arguing the bill increases were not properly granted. Chief executive James Wallace said the claims of record investment mean “bill payers, not water companies, are being forced to pick up the tab for decades of failure.” Water UK chief executive David Henderson acknowledged the difficulty of the increase but stressed the need for investment to secure water supplies and end sewage discharges.
Water UK said 2.5 million households will benefit from social tariffs or other affordability help, offering up to 40% off bills. However, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) warned of a “postcode lottery” due to differing support policies. CCW chief executive Mike Keil noted that complaints about affordability have almost tripled in the past year, calling for a stronger safety net for those unable to afford the rises.
