Water bills in England and Wales to rise by average of £10 per month
The average annual water bill will rise by £26% or £123 in the next financial year alone, according to industry figures covering England and Wales.
Water UK confirmed how inflation-busting hikes, determined by the regulator Ofwat in December, would play out from 1 April when a new five-year pricing period begins.
The watchdog allowed bills to rise sharply from 2025-30, but not by as much as suppliers had wanted, to help fund badly needed infrastructure upgrades in key areas, such as storm overflows to prevent sewage spills.
Water UK, which represents the water firms, said the average water and wastewater bill would go up from £480 to £603 during 2025/26 – an increase of about £10 a month.
But the increases will be even harder to swallow for many.
Southern Water customers will see the largest in percentage terms, a 47% increase, taking their average bill to £703.
Bills for households covered by Hafren Dyfrdwy and South West Water will rise by 32%.
Thames Water’s 16 million customers face a 31% hike to £639 – a rise of £151 – at a time when the company is still scrambling to secure its financial future amid a massive debt pile that could yet tip it towards a special administration process.
Water UK explained that the rises may be higher than customers were expecting as the annual totals now included inflation calculations.
The body also said that the increases across households would also vary, depending on circumstances such as water use and whether a water meter was installed.
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They will come into force at a time when consumers are facing a surge in other costs.
Industry estimates suggest another hefty increase in energy bills will be seen from April, when the energy price cap is adjusted to reflect higher wholesale prices.
Council tax is also among the bills set for above-inflation rises.
Poorer households get support
Water UK said that it recognised the impact that rising water bills would have on poorer households, pledging that more than three million would receive support worth £4.1bn over the five-year pricing period.
It urged those concerned about paying the increase to contact their supplier.
Water UK also sought to reassure customers that they would see a return, following widespread anger over historic dividends for shareholders.
Water UK said firms would invest around £20bn each year to 2030.
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Upgrade works will include nine new reservoirs and increased capacity at 1,700 wastewater treatment works to reduce pollution and clear up rivers.
Water UK admits rises ‘will be difficult’
Water UK chief executive David Henderson said: “We understand increasing bills is never welcome and, while we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult.
“Water companies will invest a record £20bn in 2025-26 to support economic growth, build more homes, secure our water supplies and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.”
The industry has argued that constraints on bills over 15 years, coupled with climate change and population growth, have been responsible for the growing pollution crisis.
Regulator says bill rises are ‘challenge’
Ofwat has denied this, saying companies must take responsibility.
Its chief executive David Black said of the bill rises ahead: “We recognise the challenge that some customers are facing with increasing financial pressures and understand that the water sector is not the only area where customers are faced with rising costs.
“While water bills will vary depending on the circumstances of each household, the average increase forecasted for 2025/26 will be 26% or £123.
“We have pushed companies to double the amount of support over the next five-year period and strongly encourage customers who are struggling to pay their water bills to contact their water company to access this.”
Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78.
A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.
“Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.
“She will be dearly missed.”
Marianne Faithfull in 1995. Pic: Reuters
Faithfull was best known for her 60s hit As Tears Go By, written by The Rolling Stones’ Jagger and Keith Richards.
She also starred in films including The Girl on a Motorcycle and 2007’s Irina Palm, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress.
In recent years, she provided voice work for the 2021 remake of Dune and 2023’s Wild Summon.
Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle. Pic: Mid-Atlantic/Ares/Claridge/Kobal/Shutterstock
Born in 1946, Faithfull started her singing career in 1964 after being discovered by the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Her self-titled debut album was released a year later, with As Tears Go By reaching number nine on the UK singles chart.
She went on to have a string of successful singles, including Come and Stay with Me, This Little Bird, and Summer Nights, and famously dated Sir Mick from 1966 to 1970.
Faithfull was prolific throughout the 60s, releasing six albums – some only in the UK and some for the US – as well as contributing backing vocals to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and inspiring the Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil.
That decade also saw her star in films like 1967’s I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname – where she was one of the first people to say f*** in a mainstream studio film – 1968’s The Girl on a Motorcycle, and Tony Richardson’s 1969 adaptation of Hamlet.
Her relationship with Sir Mick was notorious, with the couple being arrested in 1968 for possession of cannabis.
She was also infamously found by police wearing only a bear skin rug when they arrived for a drugs raid at Richard’s home in 1967.
Faithfull and Mick Jagger dated from 1966 to 1970. Pic: Shutterstock
After breaking up with the Stones frontman, Faithfull spent two years homeless in Soho while suffering from anorexia and heroin addiction, before she started living in a squat.
She wrote in her 1994 autobiography: “For me, being a junkie was an admirable life. It was total anonymity, something I hadn’t known since I was 17.
“As a street addict in London, I finally found it. I had no telephone, no address.”
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In 1979, following success in Ireland with the country-themed Dreamin’ My Dreams, Faithfull released the Grammy-nominated Broken English – widely considered her best album.
She later achieved critical acclaim as a jazz and blues singer with 1987’s Strange Weather and went to rehab that same decade.
Faithfull performing in Montreux, Switzerland, in 2009. Pic: Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA/Shutterstock
Faithfull released a total of 21 solo albums throughout her career. Her most recent was the spoken word album She Walks in Beauty from 2021, which saw her work with frequent Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis.
She made a full recovery from breast cancer in 2006, and fell into a coma after catching COVID-19 early in 2020 before recovering.
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