Water bills set to soar by up to 12%
STRUGGLING households face a huge rise in water bills this April with one supplier hiking them 12.9 per cent.
It comes amid the ongoing cost-ofliving crisis that has left millions at the mercy of rocketing energy, fuel, food and goods prices.
Anglian Water, which supplies 2.6 million properties, was the first to set out new charges from April 1. Its prices will rise by between 11.7 and 12.9 per cent.
A single person household will see last year’s average bill of £294.14 increase by £31.57, or 10.7 per cent, to £325.71.
Other households face average hikes depending on the number of residents.
A typical five person household will be hit with a £87.31 (12.9 per cent) rise, with annual bills of £765.14.
Other firms – including the largest, Thames Water, which supplies 15 million people – are expected to reveal their increases to customers onwednesday.
United Utilities supplies around three million North West properties. It is writing to homes in the coming weeks, with rises “less than the rate of inflation”.
Last year bills rose by an average of
‘A body blow to one in five households’
1.7 per cent in England andwales.
Campaigners fear more people will be pushed into water poverty because they cannot afford to pay their bills.
Emma Clancy, CEO of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Any increase in charges will be a body blow to the one in five households in England and Wales already struggling to pay water bills.”
She warned water firm support schemes were a “postcode lottery”.
National Energy Action’s Jess Cook said any increase in bills would “push more households into water poverty”.
She said some households would be forced to “restrict water use for bathing, washing clothes, and cutting back on food and personal hygiene products to try and save money and avoid debt”.
Dennis Reed, of campaign group Silver Voices, accused water firms of “jumping on the bandwagon to squeeze more profits out of hard-pressed households”.
Anglian Water said charges were set by regulator Ofwat and that it faced rising energy prices and higher chemical and other material costs.a spokesperson said it “launched our largest ever package of support of £135million in November”.