Households could soon have to pay up to 44 per cent more for water, with some paying almost £200 extra a year.
The proposed increases in bills over the next five years will deliver £96 billion in improvements to the UK’s water network, including building 10 new reservoirs and reducing leaking pipes by 25 percent.
But the price increases will also solve the main problem the public has with water utilities: pumping sewage into waterways.
Water companies set out their five-year investment plans in documents submitted to water regulator Ofwat yesterday.
Running total: Water companies have told the regulator how much they plan to increase bills
Flooding: Water companies have caused widespread anger over the amount of sewage being dumped into Britain’s rivers and seas
To afford these upgrades, the average home will end up paying an extra £7 a month in water bills by 2025, or £84 a year, according to Water UK, the trade body for water companies.
That will rise again by 2030 to an extra £13 per month, or £156 per year.
The biggest planned increases will be for homeowners supplied by Southern Water.
The water company wants to increase its current average bill of £439 by £193.16 by 2030, taking it to £632.16.
Exactly how much you pay depends on where you live and how much water you use for those who have a water meter.
It will also vary depending on how your water company wants to carry out the upgrade work.
Here’s how average water bills will change at each of the major water companies.
How your water bill will change
Southern Water
Average bill now: £439
Increase by 2030: 44 per cent, or £193.16 per year, bringing the total to £632.16.
Lawrence Gosden, CEO of Southern Water, said: “We know that our past performance has not met the expectations of our customers and our regulators. We recognize these shortcomings and are doing everything we can to address them.
‘Customer bills will rise, but we will mitigate the impact by spreading the increases over the regulatory period and significantly increasing our support for vulnerable customers.’
Big spender: Biggest water bill increases will come from Southern Water and will affect millions of people in Kent, Sussex and Isle of Wight
Thames water
Average bill now: £456
Increase between 2025 and 2030: 38 per cent, or £174.60 per year, bringing the total to £630.60, although this is subject to change.
Thames Water’s proposals for 2025-2030 stated: ‘If we were to adopt a ‘rise and flat’ bill profile over the 2025-2030 period, the average monthly bill will increase by £14.55.
Alternatively, we could introduce lower bill increases at the start of the next price control period, but this would mean steeper increases over time.”
Severn Trent
Average bill now: £419
Increase by 2030: 33 per cent, or £138.96 per year, bringing the total to £557.96.
United Utilities
Average bill now: £443
Increase by 2030: 16 per cent, or £75 per year, taking the total to £518.
Southwest Water
Average bill now: £476
Increase by 2030: 22 per cent, or £108 per year, taking the total to £584.
Yorkshire water
Average bill now: £446
Increase by 2030: 24 per cent, or £111 per year, taking the total to £557.
Northumbrian water
Average bill now: £391
Increase by 2030: 18 percent, or £70.38 per year
Wessex Water
Average bill now: £504
Increase by 2030: 30.9 per cent, or £156 per year, bringing the total to £461.38.
Anglian Water
Average bill now: £492
Increase by 2030: 15.5 percent, or £76.65 per day, bringing the total to £568.65.
Have these price increases been confirmed?
No not yet. All proposals are part of water companies’ plans on how they want to improve their services over the next five years.
Water regulator Ofwat is now auditing these plans to check they are fair and that customers are only paying for improvements – not for correcting water companies’ past mistakes.
Consumers will also be able to directly challenge water companies’ plans through a series of public meetings to be held by Ofwat.
Trash: Customers will have to pay more for water if companies’ increases are approved
These meetings are called ‘Your water, your opinion’ and offer consumers the opportunity to provide feedback to each water company and ask them questions.
Ofwat chief executive David Black said: ‘The water industry must deliver a step-change in investment and performance to clean our rivers and seas, while ensuring we can meet the challenge of climate change.
‘Business plans are an important first step in the price review process.
‘Ofwat’s role is to forensically examine their proposals, to ensure that any increase in bills is justified, efficient and delivers significant improvements to river and bathing water quality.
‘We will assess how companies help customers pay any invoice increase.’
A statement from Water UK said: ‘In May, water companies apologized for not paying enough attention to the issues the public cares about, such as overflow leaks, and promised a plan to change this.
‘Today’s investment proposals will start that work, and while it will take some time to overhaul 100,000km of old sewers, the industry is committed to action.’
An Ofwat spokesperson said all legislative changes and investment ideas will be developed in May next year and then signed into law in December 2024.
What will happen to my water bill for 2024?
Currently, water companies have not announced any plans to change water bills from April next year. Normally these companies publish their plans in February of the same year.
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