Water bills rate rise: See how much your water company is hiking its prices by

Households are facing huge hikes to their water bills from April as water companies increase their prices by the largest amount in 20 years.

However, the rate rise will vary depending on your postcode as water companies across the UK make individual adjustments to their prices. As a result, saving water is likely to become more of a key topic in homes across the UK that haven't already looked towards measure to bring down their water consumption. 

Here is what you need to know about the water bills rate rises, including what water will cost from next month, why it is happening and a break down of the price rises depending on your water provider. We also dive into what government help is out there for those struggling.

What will water cost from April?

The average household bill in England and Wales will rise by about £31 to £448 from April. 

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) says the rise could be a tipping point for the one in five customers already struggling to pay due to energy price rises.

Emma Clancy, Chief Executive of CCW, said: “Water is essential for all of us so no-one should be worried about being able to afford their bill. These increases will bring more uncertainty to struggling households at a time when they can’t be certain they will get the help they need.”

“Low-income households need immediate relief and the long-term security of knowing their water bill will be affordable. It’s not fair that struggling households face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting help with their bill – that’s why we urgently need a new water affordability scheme that provides consistent support based on people’s needs.”

The CCW adds that regional variations and other factors, such as whether a customer is metered and how much water they use, means some households could face rises significantly above or below the average.

Why is the price of water rising?

Water UK policy director Stuart Colville says the rises will support record investments and that a further £70bn would be spent in the coming years on "building new reservoirs and ending overflows into rivers".

He adds “With an average increase of around 60p a week, most customers will again see a below-inflation increase in their water bill. However, we know that any increase is unwelcome, particularly at the moment.”

He adds that an extra £200m was being released by the companies to help such people.

"Anyone with worries should contact their water company or go to supportontap.org for advice, and it's worth remembering that water companies will never cut anyone off, or make them use a prepayment meter," he said.

How much will your water bill go up in your area?

It's crucial for homeowners to understand the impact of the water bill hike in their area, as the price surge differs across various locations in the UK.

To help with this, Money Saving Expert has compiled a list of the average yearly price increases based on water suppliers, which can be found below.

What help is out there for water bills?

Moving across to a low-income social tariff typically saves £150. All water companies offer reduced tariffs to low-income customers, but eligibility and the level of support varies from company to company.

Water companies have recently increased the level of support they offer to help with water bills by more than £200m, which they claim will help hundreds of thousands more households.

Water UK claims more than a million customers have already receive reduced bills.

However, the CCW says the ‘postcode lottery’ nature of this support means many customers who cannot afford their bill slip through the net.

CCW has repeated its call for the UK Government to deliver on its promise to consult on a new water affordability scheme that would provide support for households based on need.

Creating a new affordability scheme – or single social tariff – to lift more than a million households out of water poverty across England and Wales was the central recommendation of CCW’s independent review of water affordability, which was commissioned by the UK and Welsh governments.

The review found that existing water company support still left five out of six customers who cannot afford their water bill without the help they need.

Jess Cook, water poverty lead at National Energy Action (NEA), said: “Social tariffs are essential for low-income households.

“Discounted water bills for those struggling to pay can stop the most vulnerable from cutting back or running up debt when they can ill afford to do so.”

You can sometimes save money by changing to a water meter, we take a look at whether this is effective in our piece on 'do water meters save money?'