Our charges

Over the past few years, we’ve done everything we can to avoid increasing our prices. Water industry regulator, Ofwat, has reviewed our business plan for 2025-2030. They've issued us with a final determination. This has been referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The referral will not impact the price increase we've set for 2025-2026.

All water companies must follow Ofwat’s charging rules when setting their prices. We’ve used this as the basis for our charges over the upcoming year. You may notice Ofwat is providing a lower percentage of bill increases. However, they don't include inflation, and it’s averaged for all customers. This is not reflective for customers who don't receive financial support also.

Charges each water company sets is no longer specifically approved by Ofwat. They can impose penalties if a water company is not performing to the targets set. This can result in a reduction in the amount of revenue that can be recovered from customers.

When and how much bills are increasing

Your new charges started on 1 April 2025 and apply to everyone in our supply area. We’ve contacted customers by email or letter in February and March to notify them of the increase.

Once a year, we review our prices. On average, typical water and wastewater bills will increase by £17 per month. Charges may vary dependent on whether you’re an unmetered or metered customer. You can receive your bill in alternative formats by registering for priority services.

The price rise next year is however expected to be much lower than in this year, and will be more in line with inflation.

Customers paying by payment plan

For customers paying by payment plan, your instalments may go up based on our new prices. We check and adjust your payments in line with how much water you’ve used and what we think you’ll use for the year ahead. From April, we'll reassess your plan every six months instead. This will make sure bills are as accurate as possible and that we’re not under or overcharging you.

We’ll be confirming our targets after this current price review. We always try to keep our customers updated with the investments we’re making in our network. This is publicised on our website, social media, emails, letters and in the media.

What we won’t be spending your money on

The increase in bills is not to improve our financial position. This is untrue and misleading. The proposed extension to our debt is an interim funding solution. It won't impact our increase in customer bills. We're working through the next steps to stabilise the business further. This is so we can deliver an investable and financeable business plan.

Money we raise won’t be used to pay off our debt or external dividends. We’re also following Ofwat's guidelines on bonuses. We won’t use customer bills for executive bonuses unless our performance meets expectations.

Help paying your bill

We go through different ways you can pay your bill and how you can check your usage.

Frequently asked charges questions

For further information on changes to charges, visit our frequently asked questions page.