Water bills in region set to rise by almost half

Severn Trent serves customers across the Midlands and the south west

The annual water bill for Severn Trent customers is set to rise by an average of 47% over the next five years, according to the industry regulator.

Ofwat said it expects an average yearly bill of £398 in 2024-25 will increase to £583 by 2029-30, the second highest rise out of the 11 water and wastewater companies in England and Wales.

The average bill increase for Severn Trent customers, expected by Ofwat over the next five years, translates to a jump of just over £15 a month, from £33.16 to £48.58.

Severn Trent insists its bill remains the second lowest in England and said it had launched a support package to ensure that no-one struggled to pay their water bill.

The company announced a £15bn plan on Thursday, including more than £2bn to be spent on improving river health and preventing spills from storm overflows.

Severn Trent added that the plan will create 7,000 new jobs in the region.

It said the overall plan represented an investment of more than £3,000 for every household during the next five years.

Liv Garfield, chief executive at Severn Trent, said the investment was "a huge boost" to the region.

She said: "We recognise that any increase can be hard, so to support any customer who needs help with their bill, we've launched a new financial support package – supporting around one in six households across our region during the next five years."

The cost increases are higher than Ofwat had proposed in July, but are lower than water companies had requested.

Firms were expected to hike tariffs more in the first year, the regulator said, and the rises did not include inflation, meaning actual bills were likely to be higher.

The Consumer Council for Water, which helps resolve customer complaints, said the bill rises were "more than what many people can afford".