Water bills to increase by 36% in the next five years, regulator Ofwat reveals
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Water companies have been given a green light to increase bills by more than a third in a move that has already been branded a ‘bloody disgrace’. With Christmas just days away, this will be seen as a dagger in the heart of the public. It is estimated that household water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average £31 a year over the next five years – significantly higher than the expected average of around £20 a year per household.
![[WATER AND WASTE COMPANIES AVERAGE BILL 2024-25 AND 2029-30]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233724944-7df9-e1734594904943.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Reacting to the news, Matthew Topham, lead campaign at the group We Own It, told Metro: ‘It’s utterly disgraceful that after 35 years of bonus scandals, sewage spills, and huge dividends, water firms are set to be rewarded by Ofwat with huge inflation-busting bill hikes. It’s little more than government-sanctioned daylight robbery.
‘Why should Brits have to cut back on food and other essentials, as many fear these hikes will require, to pay a privatisation tax to wealthy overseas shareholders?. ‘The public desperately want a champion to step in and defend them. The government’s own papers suggest they could save enough through public ownership to keep bills steady while boosting investment — using an approach last deployed by Blair to protect rail passengers.’.
The anger comes after Thames Water said it will go bust by March if it does not get an emergency £3billion loan. This would cost the average person £250 more a year, according to figures from campaign group We Own It. This means that the average bill will rise by a total of £157 or 36%, on top of inflation, by 2030.
