Average water bills likely to hit £2,000 a year by 2050, says Ofwat. Customers in line to pick up cost of vital investment and river cleanups, regulator tells inquiry.
The average household water bill in England and Wales is likely to reach £2,000 a year by 2050 if supplies are to be maintained, the industry regulator has said.
In its submission to the government-commissioned water inquiry, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, Ofwat said “significant investment” was needed to secure enough water and avoid the country running out, and that this would cause costs to be piled on to water bills in coming years.
Its submission reads: “Significant investment is needed to provide for these new sources of water, as well as to improve river water quality standards, to help meet net zero and for other improvements to the network. The additional investment could mean average bills reach over £1,000 by 2050, before inflation (and around £2,000 including expected impact of inflation).”
The British Blue Community ‘We Own It’ posted:
“£2000 bills are coming if we don’t sort out the broken water industry. 😱 Water is a product that we can’t live without. Yet we’re powerless when the private profiteers squeeze us for every penny – we can’t exactly switch suppliers! 💧 We need public ownership NOW!”
River Action UK comments:
“Ofwat says average water bills could hit £2,000 by 2050. This isn’t just inflation. This is the price of failure. “Decades of underinvestment, overcharging and unchecked sewage dumping have led us here,” says our Head of Campaigns, Amy Fairman, in yesterday’s Guardian. We’re taking Ofwat to court because the public shouldn’t foot the bill for the water industry’s collapse.” It’s time for a complete overhaul – polluters must pay, not customers.
