Millions in England to pay higher water bills after suppliers appeal

Anglian, Southern, Wessex and South East allowed to raise charges more than originally permitted by watchdog Millions of households in England will pay even higher water bills than previously expected, after the competition regulator gave its final verdict on industry spending plans for the coming years. Five water companies had appealed to the Competition and Markets Authority to let them raise bills higher than was initially allowed by Ofwat, the industry watchdog. On Tuesday, the CMA said it would let four of them raise annual bills by an extra 2.65% on average. Households served by Anglian, Southern, Wessex and South East will increases of 1.7% to 3.7%, while those supplied by Northumbrian, which also appealed, will have no change. The five companies together serve 14.7 million customers. Thames Water, Britain’s biggest provider with 16 million customers, also initially appealed but then pulled out amid crisis talks to try to cut its debt burden and secure its future. Under England and Wales’s mostly privatised water system, Ofwat sets the amount that suppliers can charge customers over a five-year period. It said in December 2024 that average annual household bills could rise