London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Water bills to increase by most in almost 20 years from April

Water bills to increase by most in almost 20 years from April

Water bills are set to get the biggest increase in almost 20 years from April.

The annual bill for an average household in England and Wales will hit £448, industry body Water UK has said.

The 7.5% increase means customers will pay on average £31 more than last year.

Consumer groups said the rise would squeeze struggling households when one in five are already finding it difficult to pay. But Water UK says the rise for most customers will be below inflation.

This measure of the rate of overall price rises in the UK was 10.5% in December.

Water UK also argued that the bills remained lower in real terms than they were a decade ago.

It added that the increase reflected higher energy costs, with water firms using about 2% of the UK's electricity.

Last year water firms were found to be regularly dumping illegal sewage into rivers in England and Wales.

Sewage was discharged into rivers 400,000 times in 2020. The Liberal Democrats accused water companies of prioritising profits over protecting the environment.

Water UK said on Thursday that firms had already been investing in infrastructure, and would invest a further £70bn to "eliminate harm" from storm overflows and increase water supplies by building new reservoirs and national water transfer schemes.

It said that since the water industry was privatised, more than £190bn has been invested in improving services.

It added that water companies "are acutely aware of the impact of price rises on lower income and vulnerable customers".

"Companies have recently increased the level of support they offer by more than £200m, which will help hundreds of thousands more households," it said.

More than one million households already get help with water bills, and that will increase to 1.2 million, it said.

Water UK's director of policy Stuart Colville said the average increase to bills worked out at about 60p a week.

"However, we know that any increase is unwelcome, particularly at the moment," he said.

"Anyone with worries should contact their water company or go to supportontap.org for advice, and it's worth remembering that water companies will never cut anyone off, or make them use a prepayment meter."


'More uncertainty'

But watchdog the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said that many customers who cannot afford their bill "slip through the net" due to a "postcode lottery" of regional variations in billing.

Some households could face rises significantly above the average, while other increases could be below, it said.

CCW chief executive Emma Clancy said: "Water is essential for all of us so no-one should be worried about being able to afford their bill."

She said the bill increases "will bring more uncertainty to struggling households at a time when they can't be certain they will get the help they need".

"We urgently need a new water affordability scheme that provides consistent support based on people's needs."


Access to social tariff

Water poverty campaigner Jess Cook at National Energy Action (NEA), said social tariffs are "essential for low-income households".

"Discounted water bills for those struggling to pay can stop the most vulnerable from cutting back or running up debt when they can ill afford to do so," she said.

"But the current postcode lottery means where you live affects what you pay and what support you receive."

She added that access to a social tariff "should be made fairer, more consistent, and accessible to everyone who needs it, regardless of where they live."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×