Some areas will see their water payments rise by as much as 13%.
UK water payments to rise by common £33 a 12 months from April 2026 (Picture: Getty)
Water payments in England and Wales will rise by a mean of 5.4% in April, the trade has confirmed. The rise, which equates to round £33 per 12 months, or an additional £2.70 monthly, will assist fund important upgrades to water infrastructure, Water UK has mentioned.
It follows final 12 months’s report rise in fees and can take the nationwide common water invoice to £639 per 12 months. David Henderson, chief govt at Water UK, mentioned: “We perceive growing payments are by no means welcome, however the cash is required to fund very important upgrades.” The rise is 2% larger than inflation however comes as corporations put together to take a position £20 billion over 2026-27 to safe water provides and finish sewage getting into rivers and seas, Water UK mentioned.
Some areas will see their water payments rise by as much as 13%. (Picture: Getty)
Water UK pledged that the cash raised by water payments may solely be used to fund infrastructure that had been independently decided to be “new, vital and worth for cash”.
A money-back assure implies that buyer payments would robotically be refunded by the regulator if enhancements weren’t delivered, it mentioned.
Ofwat has allowed water companies to lift payments by 36% between 2025 and 2030, with round 20% of this utilized to final April’s rise.
The Client Council for Water (CCW) warned that clients have been “impatient for change and must see compelling proof their cash is being nicely spent”.
CCW chief govt Mike Keil mentioned: “We’ve seen complaints delivered to CCW in regards to the affordability of water payments nearly triple up to now 12 months, and additional invoice rises will compound individuals’s worries.”
Invoice will increase range considerably by area, with Affinity Water (central area) set to see the most important rise on April 1 at 13%.
Severn Trent clients will see a ten% worth hike, Sutton and East Surrey clients will see an 11% enhance, and Bristol Water clients will see a 12% rise.
South East Water is elevating payments by a mean of seven% to £324 a 12 months, regardless of days of provide disruption this month, blamed on Storm Goretti.
Different components, comparable to whether or not a buyer is metered and the way a lot water they use, imply invoice modifications will range.
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Greater than two million households presently obtain assist with their payments by means of social tariffs, the WaterSure scheme and different affordability measures, and it will develop by an estimated 300,000 extra households over the approaching 12 months. The anticipated common low cost on payments supplied will probably be round 40%.
The assist, which varies by provider, has been criticised as a “postcode lottery”, with some areas receiving considerably extra assist than others.
CCW has known as for a single social tariff for England and Wales, which would offer constant and higher focused assist for these residing in water poverty.
Mr Keil mentioned: “A stronger security internet can also be wanted for individuals who merely can’t afford these invoice rises. Our unbiased assessment of water affordability again in 2021 made clear {that a} common single social tariff would guarantee monetary assist flows to the place it’s wanted most.
“The postcode lottery of economic help created by current water firm social tariffs is unfair and unsustainable within the face of rising water payments.”
Ofwat interim chief govt Chris Walters mentioned: “By April 2027, we expect water corporations to have put in greater than eight million water meters in properties to assist clients handle their payments, to have changed nearly 3,000km of piping that can guarantee clients expertise fewer provide disruptions, and cut back sewage spills from storm overflows by 30% from 2024 ranges.
“These are simply three examples that can assist us attain our collective objective of cleaner rivers and seas, extra resilient water provides and higher companies for patrons and the surroundings.
“Nonetheless, we additionally recognise that these invoice will increase could also be tough for some individuals. That’s the reason we accredited a doubling of firm assist obtainable for patrons who’re struggling to pay, and now greater than two million households are accessing this assist.”
Full listing of invoice will increase by water and wasteage corporations
Right here is the regional breakdown of common annual family payments for 2026-27 in England and Wales, in accordance with Water UK.
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- Anglian Water – £674, a rise of £44 or 7%
- Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) – £683, a rise of £31 or 5%
- Hafren Dyfrdwy – £635, a rise of £54 or 9%
- Northumbrian Water – £535, a rise of £31 or 6%
- Severn Trent Water – £587, a rise of £52 or 10%
- South West Water – £740, a rise of £39 or 6%
- Southern Water – £759, a rise of £55 or 8%
- Thames Water – £658, a rise of £3 or 0.4%
- United Utilities – £660, a rise of £57 or 9%
- Wessex Water – £695, a rise of £17 or 3%
- Yorkshire Water – £636, a rise of £34 or 6%
Full listing of invoice will increase by water-only corporations
- Affinity Water [Central region] – £266, a rise of £31 or 13%
- Affinity Water [East region] – £280, a rise of £1 or 0.4%
- Affinity Water [South-east region] – £294, a rise of £3 or 1%
- Bournemouth Water – £205, a rise of £11 or 6%
- Bristol Water – £264, a rise of £29 or 12%
- Essex and Suffolk Water – £333, a rise of £15 or 5%
- Portsmouth Water – £162, a rise of £13 or 8%
- South East Water – £324, a rise of £21 or 7%
- South Staffs Water [Cambridge region] – £210, a rise of £7 or 3%
- South Staffs Water [South Staffs region] – £230, a rise of £6 or 2%
- Sutton & East Surrey Water – £257, a rise of £26 or 11%
- Nationwide Common – £639, a rise of £33 or 5.4%
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