Water and sewerage bills to hit new high

For many of us living in either our own houses or private rental homes across the UK, a boost was seen earlier this month, when the seemingly endless rises in energy bills were curbed, and many energy providers finally reduced what those living in UK property are having to spend on their utility bills.

However, that joy has been short-lived, as OFWAT has now announced that those living in houses throughout England and Wales are now going to have to pay more for their water and sewerage bills this year.

It has announced that the average household bill for water and sewerage will now increase by 5.7 per cent this year, to come in line with the rate of inflation, which currently sits at 5.2 per cent.

This means that people across the country are now going to be paying an average of £20 more per year than they currently do, with the average yearly bill now going up to £376 for 2012 – 2013.

These changes will come into effect at the beginning of April this year, and will last until the end of March 2013.

Regina Finn, Ofwat chief executive officer, said: "We understand that any bill rise is unwelcome, particularly in tough economic times. Inflation feeds through into water bills, and this is driving these rises.

"We will make sure customers get value for money. Companies are investing £22 billion by 2015 - more than £935 for every property in England and Wales. This will deliver benefits to us all - from continuing to improve reliability of supplies to cleaner rivers and beaches."

Throughout the five year period between 2010 and 2015, companies pledged to invest in order to improve a number of aspects of their offerings. These include making services better for consumers, ensuring that services and supplies are safe and reliable, and protecting the environment.