Average water bill to rise by £9 - see how yours will change
The average water and sewerage bill in England and Wales is set to rise by £9 to £405 a year.
The biggest rise will hit households in the North West of England, which are served by United Utilities, where bills are forecast to increase by an average of £18 (4%) to £435 in the 2018/19 financial year.
In contrast, bills for South West Water customers, who live in Cornwall and Devon and parts of Dorset and Somerset, will decrease by an average of £14 (-3%) to £491.
Water UK, the organisation that represents the major water and wastewater service providers in the UK, says the rise is below the current inflation rate of 2.7% and part of a planned 5% bill cut in real terms between 2015 and 2020.
See our Cut My Water Bills guide to see if you can save.
How are my bills changing?
This table shows how average water and sewerage bills are changing:
How are average water and sewerage bills changing?
| Supplier | Average Water Bill 2018/19 | Average Sewerage Bill 2018/19 | Average Total Bill 2018/19 | Overall change from 2017/18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity (central region) | £172 | n/a | £172 | -£2 |
| Affinity (east region) | £175 | n/a | £175 | -£7 |
| Affinity (south east region) | £204 | n/a | £204 | -£1 |
| Anglian | £186 | £242 | £428 | £3 |
| Bournemouth | £142 | n/a | £142 | £0 |
| Bristol | £185 | n/a | £185 | £6 |
| Dee Valley | £157 | n/a | £157 | £6 |
| Dŵr Cymru Welsh | £182 | £256 | £439 | £8 |
| Northumbrian | £181 | £220 | £402 | £12 |
| Northumbrian – Essex and Suffolk | £251 | n/a | £251 | £6 |
| Portsmouth | £102 | n/a | £102 | £2 |
| SES | £193 | n/a | £193 | £5 |
| Severn Trent | £180 | £169 | £348 | £10 |
| South East | £210 | n/a | £210 | £5 |
| South Staffordshire (Cambridge) | £140 | n/a | £140 | £5 |
| South Staffordshire (South Staffs) | £147 | n/a | £147 | £5 |
| South West | £216 | £324 | £491 | -£14 |
| Southern | £158 | £278 | £436 | £11 |
| Thames | £203 | £180 | £383 | £7 |
| United Utilities | £208 | £227 | £435 | £18 |
| Wessex | £245 | £234 | £479 | £3 |
| Yorkshire | £170 | £215 | £385 | £12 |
| Some companies only supply water, as the table above shows. | ||||
What does Water UK say?
Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: "We know that households are under financial pressure in a number of ways.
"Even though the cost of water and sewerage is much less than other services, it all adds up, which is why water companies are doing everything they can to keep bills as low as possible while keeping up huge levels of investment.
"Our customers deserve a world-class service, and we'll continue to provide it – giving people some of the best water in the world, cutting leaks, improving the environment and helping customers who struggle to pay their bills."
Share this guide?
21 January 2025
Clever ways to calculate your finances
