Ofwat water bills: full list of water companies' price hikes revealed, as bills set to increase by 50% - news

• Household water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of £31 a year by 2029/30
• The increases, higher than Ofwat's earlier proposals, aim to fund a £104 billion water sector upgrade
• Environmentalists argue the hikes won’t solve sewage pollution or ensure cleaner waterways
• Water companies face criticism for large profits, dividends and bonuses amid underinvestment
• Customers can’t switch providers, as water firms operate regional monopolies with guaranteed revenues

Household water bills in England and Wales are set to rise by an average of £31 per year over the next five years.

The increase is significantly higher than the expected average rise of around £20 a year per household, outlined in regulator Ofwat’s draft proposals in July.

The decision paves the way for a £104 billion investment in the water sector, which Ofwat claims will bring benefits to both customers and the environment.

The announcement comes amid widespread public anger over the degraded state of rivers, lakes and coastal waters, which are beset with pollution from sewage, agricultural run-off and chemical pollutants.

Campaigners have condemned the new agreement, accusing it of perpetuating a system of “profit for pollution” that harms rivers and seas, and say the hikes will neither resolve the sewage crisis nor ensure cleaner water.

Water bills have also been rising steadily in recent years, with many firms continuing to make large profits, and paying dividends and bonuses out to shareholders.

Giles Bristow, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, criticised the settlement, saying that a third of every pound paid by customers is lost to industry debt and dividends rather than being invested in cleaning up waterways.

“This is truly the nightmare before Christmas for a cash-strapped public and signs that even under a new government, the sewage scandal rumbles on,” he said.

He acknowledged the need for urgent investment but said: “Those who claim today as a day of great ambition and record investment are either blind or wilfully ignorant.

“Today is a day where the status quo continues and the vicious cycle of profit from pollution is perpetuated by government and its regulators,” he said, as he called for radical reform of the sector.

UK water companies operate as regional monopolies in their areas, with guaranteed revenue streams and no direct competition for residential customers.

But in which areas are water bills forecast to increase the most, and what can you do to combat the hikes in the wake of continued ecological disregard?

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The average bills customers will be charged by water companies in England and Wales by 2029/30:

There are two lists, one for water and wastewater companies and one for water-only companies, both of which are arranged alphabetically.

The lists read, from left to right: name of company; average bill in 2024/25; average bill in 2029/30; increase or decrease in pounds from 2024/25 to 2029/30 (percentage change in brackets).

Water and wastewater companies:

• Anglian Water: 2024/25 £491; 2029/30 £631; up £140 (+29%)
• Dwr Cymru: 2024/25 £455; 2029/30 £645; up £190 (+42%)
• Hafren Dyfrdwy: 2024/25 £392; 2029/30 £557; up £165 (+42%)
• Northumbrian Water: 2024/25 £422; 2029/30 £510; up £88 (+21%)
• Severn Trent Water: 2024/25 £398; 2029/30 £583; up £185 (+47%)
• Southern Water: 2024/25 £420; 2029/30 £642; up £222 (+53%)
• South West Water: 2024/25 £497; 2029/30 £610; up £113 (+23%)
• Thames Water: 2024/25 £436; 2029/30 £588; up £152 (+35%)
• United Utilities: 2024/25 £442; 2029/30 £585; up £143 (+32%)
• Wessex Water: 2024/25 £508; 2029/30 £614; up £106 (+21%)
• Yorkshire Water: 2024/25 £430; 2029/30 £607; up £177 (+41%)

Water-only companies:

• Affinity Water: 2024/25 £192; 2029/30 £241; up £49 (+26%)
• Portsmouth Water: 2024/25 £111; 2029/30 £152; up £41 (+37%)
• South East Water: 2024/25 £232; 2029/30 £287; up £55 (+24%)
• South Staffs Water: 2024/25 £161; 2029/30 £195; up £34 (+21%)
• SES Water: 2024/25 £221; 2029/30 £215; down £6 (-3%)

If you're struggling to pay your water bill, many companies offer assistance schemes, such as social tariffs, reduced rates for low-income households, or payment plans.

Do remember that water companies in the UK cannot legally disconnect residential customers for unpaid bills, a protection enshrined in the Water Industry Act 1999 to ensure access to water, which is considered an essential service.

[Note: Unpaid bills will accrue interest and late payment fees, which may eventually be passed on to a debt to a collection agency]

River Action’s chair and founder Charles Watson said: “It is a travesty that customers are now being forced to pay higher water bills, especially when these increases are directly the result of years of under-investment by the water industry.”

He added: “With customers now being forced to foot the bill to repair and upgrade the water industry’s crumbling infrastructure, the very people who have already benefited for years from huge dividend payments, will see the value of their assets increase in thanks to this customer funded investment.”

Sienna Somers, senior nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, accused Ofwat of caving into pressure from water companies to hike bills.

“Dirty water companies shouldn’t be able to rely on their customers to foot ever higher bills while they line the pockets of their shareholders and leave our rivers brimming with sewage,” she said.

“These extortionate price rises won’t guarantee us cleaner water or solve the sewage crisis, they simply reward businesses for breaking the rules that protect people and nature,” she said, calling for the right to a healthy environment in law, so communities could hold water firms to account.

What do you think about the rising water bills and the state of our rivers and seas? Do you believe water companies are doing enough to tackle pollution, or should stricter measures be enforced? Share your thoughts in the comments section.