Water bills in UK to drop by 2% in 2015-16

Water industry body, Water UK has announced that average water and sewerage bills in the UK will see an average reduction of 2% (£9) in 2015-16.

The reduction is expected to affect the bills after April this year, Water UK said.

Customers struggling to pay their bill will receive £40m worth of assistance from the water companies in the form of packages including trust funds, debt matching and write-off schemes, debt advice and water efficiency measures.

In December 2014, the national water regulator Ofwat had ruled that water bills will be reduced by 5% between 2015 and 2020.

According to Water UK, 14 to 18 water firms are also likely to have social tariffs in place for the customers, with the rest either introducing their tariffs by 2016 or consulting with respective customers about the schemes.

Besides taking up initiatives for reducing the water charges, the companies also intend to invest over £44bn for customer priorities and water system maintenance involving leakage control and prevention of supply interruptions and sewer flooding.

Water UK chief executive Pamela Taylor said: "Water companies understand the pressures their customers are under and are delivering lower bills and even more support for struggling households.

"Meanwhile, investment in the services their customers want will continue so that our drinking water remains the best in the world and our beaches and rivers are kept cleaner than ever."

Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), which is an independent representative for household and business water consumers in the region, has welcomed the announcement.

CCWater chief executive Tony Smith said: "This is good news for most households and reflects how the water industry has listened to what customers want on price and service.

"But affordability remains a concern for many households and much more still needs to be done to ensure customers who are struggling or unable to pay their bill get the help they need. That’s why we are working with water companies to ensure they raise awareness of the assistance schemes they can offer customers who urgently need support."

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Image: Reduction in water and sewarage bills in UK and Wales is likely to start from April 2015. Photo: courtesy of vectorolie / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.