It is that time of year again. April 2022 will see new water and sewerage prices kick in for households across the UK, with the average bill in England and Wales set to increase by 1.7 percent.
The industry body Water UK has calculated the average bill will increase from £412 per year to £419. The key word here of course is average – some areas are to be hit with a rise of 10 percent. Others will see the price they pay for water go down depending on supplier.
Northumbrian Water customers are set to suffer the biggest increase, a £35 jump of 10 percent from £330 to £365. Those supplied by Southern Water will see a four percent decrease in the cost of their water bill, down £17 to £402.
11 water-only companies operate in England and Wales, supplying water to customers whose sewerage and wastewater treatment is dealt with by other companies.
Of those, Essex & Suffolk Water prices are going up by £23 – another 10 percent rise. Affinity Water South East will drop their annual charge to £225 from £232, a three percent reduction.
South West Water customers will receive the biggest cut in the cost of their water bill thanks to a contribution from the UK government which has been in place since 2013.
The contribution knocks £50 off every household’s bill. It is in recognition of South West Water funding the £2 billion Clean Sweep of the most popular beaches in the UK found in its region.
Much of the investment in Clean Sweep came from higher water bills. The three percent of the population supplied by South West were therefore facing a significant burden for making beaches safe for the benefit of the rest of the country.
Even with the contribution and the reduction for 2022-23, South West Water customers pay the highest water bill in the UK. Households in Devon and Cornwall will be charged £472, down from £503 in 2021-22.
Water rates in Scotland are calculated differently to the rest of the UK, based on council tax bands and covered by a combined service charge for water and waste. On average, households north of the border will see a rise of 4.2 percent in their water bills from April.
How much each UK combined water and sewerage company will charge from April 2022
| Company | 2021-22 Cost | 2022-23 Cost | Difference | % Change |
| Anglian Water | £430 | £452 | +£22 | +5% |
| Dwr Cymru | £463 | £463 | £0 | 0% |
| Hafren Dyfrdwy | £324 | £334 | +£10 | +3% |
| Northumbrian Water | £330 | £365 | +£35 | +10% |
| Severn Trent | £363 | £389 | +£26 | +7% |
| South West Water | £503 | £472 | -£31 | -6% |
| Southern Water | £419 | £402 | -£17 | -4% |
| Thames Water | £420 | £423 | +£3 | +1% |
| United Utilities | £425 | £422 | -£3 | -1% |
| Wessex Water | £454 | £470 | +£16 | +4% |
| Yorkshire Water | £425 | £419 | -£6 | -2% |
How much each UK water only company will charge from April 2022
| Company | 2021-22 Cost | 2022-23 Cost | Difference | % Change |
| Affinity Water Central | £177 | £175 | -£2 | -1% |
| Affinity Water East | £204 | £200 | -£4 | -2% |
| Affinity Water South East | £232 | £225 | -£7 | -3% |
| Bournemouth Water | £144 | £142 | -£2 | -1% |
| Bristol Water | £189 | £202 | +£13 | +7% |
| Cambridge Water | £148 | £148 | £0 | 0% |
| Essex & Suffolk Water | £223 | £246 | +£23 | +6% |
| Portsmouth Water | £103 | £109 | +£6 | +6% |
| SES Water | £187 | £193 | +£6 | +3% |
| South East Water | £214 | £221 | +£7 | +3% |
| South Staffs Water | £157 | £419 | +£7 | +1.7% |
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