Mon, 21 Jul 2025

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 Water bill rises needed after years of low investment, says report

A major review of the water industry also suggests compulsory smart meters and scrapping the regulator Ofwat.

* Water bills in England and Wales are expected to rise by 30% between now and 2030 due to underinvestment
* Compulsory smart meters will be installed in homes to help people manage costs
* The regulator Ofwat is set to be scrapped and replaced with a single body
* Pollution incidents have reached record levels, with a 60% increase in serious cases last year
* Water companies have paid out £54bn to shareholders since being privatized in 1989
* The report suggests that customers' water bills have declined by 15% over the last decade when taking inflation into account
* Climate change, ageing infrastructure, and population growth are putting pressure on the system, driving up costs
* A new regulatory body will be established to oversee maintenance and investment in water infrastructure
* Campaigners criticize the report for not going far enough to fix the system and prioritize public benefit over private profit
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