Hosepipe Ban
Water bills across England and Wales are set to rise by an average of 4.1 per cent including inflation, increasing the average bill to £342 a year (see table for each company’s average bill increase). Because of the way that water prices are set, these price increases were agreed by the regulator, Ofwat, back in […]
Ninety-six per cent of England’s bathing waters met the minimum water quality standards set by the European Bathing Water Directive this year and 65.7 per cent met the highest guideline standards according to tests carried out by the Environment Agency. Other results this year show: Of the 414 bathing waters in England, 398 met the […]
The interim report by Professor Martin Cave into competition and innovation in water markets is published today. The report sets out Professor Cave’s recommended measures for increasing retail competition in the water industry which could benefit customers and the economy by up to £600 million over the next 30 years and deliver considerable environmental and […]
The Consumer Council for Water today (18 November) welcomed the recommendations put forward in Martin Cave’s interim report on competition in the water industry, and is echoing the call to get competition right for business customers first. Dame Yve Buckland, Chair of the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Competition to date has not served business […]
Ofwat today announced targets for water companies to increase water efficiency savings by 40 per cent from 2010 – a response to lacklustre performance by some companies on helping their customers use water more wisely. The regulator is demanding that water companies help customers save at least 23 million litres of water a day (Ml/d), […]
Ofwat has provisionally decided not to allow Sutton and East Surrey Water to raise its prices by an average of 10.2% before inflation in 2009-2010.
The application would have resulted in more than 250,000 consumers having a significant increase in their water bills. Ofwat’s draft decision means the prices the company can charge will remain unchanged.
Ofwat today confirmed that it has fined Tendring Hundred Water a total of £42,000 for failing to provide the regulator with reliable, accurate and complete information. The fine has been confirmed following Ofwat’s proposal to fine the company in August 2008, following an accounting error that led to the company misreporting information in its June […]
In support of Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Saving Week (20 to 26 October) the Consumer Council for Water is encouraging consumers to take a look at where they may be wasting water, energy, and therefore money around the home.
Around three quarters of a household’s energy use relates to heating and hot water use, for example, in baths or showers or for washing clothes or dishes.
By cutting water wastage through the following easy steps, families should see a reduction in their energy bill, and those who are charged for their water by meter should see a reduction in their water bill as well.
A report released today (Tuesday 9 September) by the Consumer Council for Water reveals that specific problems within a few water companies caused an 11 per cent rise in complaints last year, while complaints to many other water companies either remained steady or fell.
Difficulties with the introduction of a new billing system led to a 155 per cent increase in complaints to Southern Water. Complaints to Anglian Water went up by 56 per cent, also because of trouble with the introduction of a new billing system, and South East Water saw complaints rise by 55 per cent on top of already high complaint figures.
Ofwat today published its proposals to fine Tendring Hundred 0.3% of its turnover – a total of £42,000 – for failing to provide the regulator with reliable, accurate and complete information.
In September 2006 (PN 26/06) Ofwat published details of the accounting error that led to the company misreporting information in its June return 2006.
The Consumer Council for Water today (11 August) warned that Thames Water has proposed an average bill increase of 16% above the rate of inflation by 2015. This means that the average water and sewerage bill in the region could rise from £280 in 2009 to £329 by 2015 before inflation.
The proposed price increase is being published as part of Thames Water’s draft business plan, which will be used as a starting point for the discussions that will decide water price limits up until 2015. The exact amount that the company will be allowed to raise prices will be decided by the economic regulator, Ofwat, in November 2009.
The Consumer Council for Water today warned that South West Water has proposed above inflation price rises between 2010 and 2015.
This means that before inflation, the average metered water and sewerage bill could rise by 12.5% from £373 in 2009-10 to £421 in 2015. Unmetered water and sewerage bills would rise by 40%, from £677 in 2009-10 to £951 in 2015 before inflation. South West Water estimates that around 70% of their customers will be metered by 2010.
The Consumer Council for Water today (Monday 11 August 2008) announced that water companies in England and Wales are proposing bill increases ranging from inflation only, up to over 25% above the rate of inflation between 2010 and 2015. Some water customers will see their bills rise by inflation only, others face more significant increases.
Proposed price increases have been published in water companies’ draft business plans, which are being used as a starting point for the discussions that will decide water price limits between 2010 and 2015.
Water companies, responding to Ofwat’s challenge, have delivered improvements to customer services and the environment.
According to companies’ annual returns for 2007-08:
* Every water company in England and Wales either hit or beat its leakage target;
* Overall leakage fell by 127 million litres per day (Ml/d) from 3,418 Ml/d in 2006-07 to 3,291 Ml/d in 2007/08. This is equal to the daily needs of nearly one million domestic consumers;
* The number of sewage treatment works seriously breaching permit limits set to protect the environment fell from 152 in 2006-07 to 107 in 2007-08 – the lowest number in the last 10 years;
* The number of serious sewage-related pollution incidents fell from 115 in 2006-07 to 83 in 2007-08 – one-fifth of level 12 years ago; and
* Most companies have reduced the number of properties at risk of sewer flooding, although the returns show that the number of sewer-flooding incidents increased because of last year’s severe weather.