Concerns for vulnerable households as some water bills to rise by £123 in April

Water bills volition emergence from April (Image: Getty)

Families volition beryllium incapable to header with the £123 summation to mean h2o and sewage bills from 1 April, campaigners person warned.

The emergence volition beryllium confirmed connected Wednesday by Water UK and volition instrumentality the mean h2o and wastewater measure from £480 to £603.

Mike Keil, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said: “These rises are the largest we’ve seen since privatisation and volition heap sizeable unit connected millions of customers who are already having to marque hard choices. Customers privation to spot concern successful improving services and cleaning up our rivers but that can’t travel astatine an unbearable outgo to struggling households.”

 “Around 2.5 cardinal households are already successful indebtedness to their h2o institution and determination is simply a information that fig volition turn unless immoderate companies amusement much ambition astir fiscal support. The existing information nett for customers who cannot spend their h2o measure is not beardown enough. That’s wherefore we urgently request a azygous societal tariff strategy to supply just and accordant enactment crossed England and Wales.”

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Some households look adjacent steeper rises with the increases for the main h2o and sewerage companies ranging from 19% for Anglian Water customers to 47% for Southern Water customers.

South West Water’s bills are rising by 32%, United Utilities by 32%, Thames Water by 31%, Yorkshire Water by 29%.

United Utilities and South West Water’s genitor institution Pennon said they volition rise dividend payouts to shareholders this twelvemonth truthful that they summation successful enactment with inflation.

Meanwhile h2o firms said they volition enactment much than 3 cardinal households with their bills arsenic portion of a enactment bundle worthy much than £4.1 cardinal implicit the adjacent 5 years.

Customers who are struggling to wage their bills tin besides person a scope of enactment measures including outgo breaks and indebtedness forgiveness. 

Customers should interaction their h2o institution straight to spot what assistance is disposable if they are concerned.

David Henderson, Water UK Chief Executive, said: “We recognize expanding bills is ne'er invited and, portion we urgently request concern successful our h2o and sewage infrastructure, we cognize that for galore this summation volition beryllium difficult.

 “This is wherefore h2o companies are much than doubling the level of fiscal enactment for customers with £4.1 cardinal to beryllium made disposable implicit the adjacent 5 years.

 “Water companies volition put a grounds £20 cardinal successful 2025-26 to enactment economical growth, physique much homes, unafraid our h2o supplies and extremity sewage entering our rivers and seas.”

There is immense nationalist choler astir the contamination of the nation’s waterways.

Sewage spills into England's lakes, rivers and seas by h2o companies much than doubled successful 2023.

According to the Environment Agency, determination were 3.6 cardinal hours of spills, compared to 1.75 cardinal hours successful 2022.