Customers 'struggling' to meet rise in water bills

Some South West Water (SWW) customers have said they are angry and concerned at water bill rises that came into force at the beginning of April.

Chris Dealy from Cornwall said his annual bill had increased from £400 to £623. The St Kew resident said: "I'm not opposed to having water supplied by a private sector company but SWW is having a laugh."

As well as tariff increases, the £50 government contribution towards SWW customers' bills has now been removed.

A spokesperson for SWW said: "We are doing everything we can to keep our bills affordable for our customers."

Emma Olliff, who moved to Devon from Reading last year, said her family faced a struggle to pay their water bill.

The Hatherleigh resident said she was paying around £14 a month in Berkshire but now faced a monthly water bill of almost £60, or £703 per annum for 2025/26.

"Despite being low income, we're not eligible for the help that SWW offers. It worries us a lot," she said.

SWW said increased bills were supporting a "record investment" of £3.2bn.

A spokesperson said: "This will help us to deliver on our customers' top priorities – providing safe, clean drinking water, reducing the use of storm overflows and protecting the environment."

The spokesperson added that help was available to those who were struggling.

"We offer many financial support programmes for those who need it, including a £200m support package for customers, and we urge people to contact us if they have any questions or concerns," they said.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW), which represents water customers, said its research showed that at least two in five households in the south west were worried about bill increases.

However, the CCW said the majority of customers backed the investment plans to improve services and protect the environment.

The yearly taxpayer funded £50 subsidy towards SWW customer bills was removed in April.

It was introduced in 2013 to help people in the region, where water bills were far in excess of the national average for many years.

Commenting on its decision to drop the subsidy, the government said it was "taking difficult decisions" to restore financial stability, adding that the difference between water bills in the South West and other regions had decreased.

Water watchdog Ofwat said it urged customers who were struggling to pay their water bills to contact their water company.

A spokesman for the water industry regulator said: "While bills are rising, the £104bn investment we have approved over the next five years will accelerate the delivery of cleaner rivers and seas and help to secure long-term drinking water supplies for customers."

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