On Tuesday, Southern Water, Anglian Water and South East Water asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to reconsider bill increase plans.
It comes after troubled rival Thames Water, the UK’s largest water supplier, last week called on regulators to allow it to push bills higher than the 35% rise it was allowed.
Chris Train, chairman of South East Water, added: “We have scrutinised the final determination and agree unanimously that in its current format, it presents a risk to water security for our customers in the region.”.
In December, sector regulator Ofwat said it would allow water firms to raise bills by an average of £157, or 36%, over the next five years to help finance investment into crumbling infrastructure.
On Tuesday, Southern Water chief executive Lawrence Gosden said the settlement “would not enable us to deliver the environmental and performance improvements and new infrastructure that our customers and communities rightly expect”.
