United Utilities water bills could rise by £33 million next year after Ofwat report
United Utilities customers could see a rise in their water bills after a report by water regulator Ofwat.
The company's performance in a number of key areas mean it will be permitted to increase bills by £33.2 million next year.
Ofwat has said the figures are provisional until it completes a review process in December, when the exact amount will be finalised .
This comes after the regulator confirmed water bills in England and Wales are set to rise by £19 a year on average over the next five years.
Ofwat found that Cumbria's water supplier had one of the highest increases in the number of pollution incidents between 2022 and 2023, with a rise of 71% in 2023 when compared with the previous 12 months.
The report also found that the company performed worse than the level they committed to on drinking water quality.
However, United Utilities was ranked average overall, performing better in areas such as looking after customers who need additional support and in meeting its target for reducing leaks.
A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We have tough targets set by Ofwat and we’re pleased that we have met 80% of our performance commitments.
"We know there is more to do though to improve our performance and that is why we have proposed a multi-billion-pound investment programme which will see the biggest overhaul of the region’s water and wastewater infrastructure in a century.
“We have started work already, bringing forward investment to reduce spills at more than 150 overflows and accelerate other environmental programmes right across the region.”
But the company acknowledged that there is more work to do to improve performance.
They added: “Annual rainfall in 2023 was exceptionally high across the North West – with it being second wettest since 1871.
"This had an adverse impact on service for customers, with increased instances of flooding and spills from our storm overflows.
“We know customers want to see us improve and we have put forward the most ambitious proposals to improve wastewater infrastructure in nearly a century. If approved, these plans will see us reduce storm overflow operations and flooding incidents.
“We have started work already, bringing forward investment to reduce spills at more than 150 overflows and accelerate other environmental programmes right across the region.”
You can read the full report here: www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WCPR-23-24.pdf
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