UK: Water bills to rise sharply from April

After a £10 monthly increase in England and Wales, water bills are set to rise by an average of £630 a year across the UK from April, with the rate of increase varying between regions. Water bills will suddenly rise by 48% to £703, while Yorkshire’s water bills are only being increased by 29%. Many other factors will also affect how much you pay, such as whether you have a water meter and how much water you use. Water bills in Scotland are set to rise by almost 10%, with customers in the lowest-priced A band set to pay more than £400 for the first time after a £36 increase, while the most expensive H band will see a £1200 increase, with £108 in the top band. Water companies say the rise in water bills was forced and necessary for us to invest in our reservoir infrastructure to cope with the impacts of climate change, drought and heavy rainfall.It should be noted that this is the first time that bills have been increased in one go since water privatisation in the past 26 years.