Water bills are set to rise for customers of five water companies after Ofwat provisionally approve £3.4bn of additional investment.
Southern Water customers face the biggest increases, with bills rising by £43 through 2027 and 2028. The company had sought more than £1bn of the £4.3bn requested across the sector, with around two-thirds relating to projects not fully covered by existing funding.
Customers of Severn Trent Water and Thames Water will see the smallest increase of £3 next year.
Helen Campbell, Executive Director for Delivery at Ofwat, said: “Our 2024 Price Review decisions are already enabling a £104bn programme of investment to produce better outcomes for customers, communities and the environment.”
A total of 13 water companies will receive the funding to improve infrastructure, support growth and address environmental requirements. Of this, £1.2bn is earmarked to safeguard services and assets, while £477m will support growth such as new housing and data centres.
Ofwat says that the proposals had undergone a three-month assessment to ensure projects were justified, offered value for money and did not involve customers paying twice for work already funded.
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