Water bills in England and Wales rose again in April 2026. The average household now pays £639 a year for water and sewerage, up £33 — 5.4% — on the year before, according to industry body Water UK. That follows the largest single-year rise since privatisation: in April 2025 the average bill jumped £123, or 26%, from £480 to £603. Taken together, the average bill has risen by about a third in two years, and the regulator has already approved further increases through to 2030.
Unlike energy or broadband, there is no switching away from the increase. Every household is served by one regional water company, fixed by postcode, and the bill it sets is the bill that must be paid. That is why the size of the rises — and what they are supposed to buy — matters more than the announcement itself.
What Ofwat approved
The increases come from Ofwat's 2024 price review, known as PR24, which sets what water companies in England and Wales can charge and what they must deliver between 2025 and 2030. Ofwat published its final determinations on 19 December 2024, approving a £104 billion investment programme — four times the investment of the previous five-year period — to be paid for largely through bills.
The regulator's own figures show the scale of what households are being asked to fund. The average water and sewerage bill rises by £157, or 36%, over the five years to 2030, before inflation, from £440 in 2024-25 to £597 in 2029-30. The sharpest rise came first: the average bill rose £86, or 20%, in 2025-26 alone, with smaller percentage increases in each of the four years after. Ofwat cut the companies' requests back — they had asked for an average rise of £39 a year, or 44% — but the approved increase is still the largest of any price review since privatisation.
The pain is not spread evenly. Southern Water customers face the steepest rise in percentage terms, up 47% over the five years to an average bill of £703. Thames Water, which had asked for a 53% rise, was allowed 35%, taking its average bill to £588. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water rises 42% to £645, United Utilities 32% to £585, and Anglian Water 29% to £631. Water-only companies, which supply water but not sewerage, rise by an average of 22% over the same period.
What the money is for
The £104 billion is earmarked for the parts of the system that have drawn the most public anger. Companies must cut sewage spills from storm overflows, replace ageing pipes, reduce leaks, and build new water supplies, including reservoirs, to cope with a growing population and drier summers. Ofwat has also set tougher performance targets, with financial penalties for companies that miss them, and has said companies will not be allowed to charge customers for work that has already been funded, such as bringing storm overflows into line with their existing permits. Major engineering projects take years, so customers are paying higher bills well before they see cleaner rivers or fewer leaks in their street.
The help that exists — and who is missing it
The rises have pushed more households onto support schemes, but the help is patchy. Figures published by the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) on 4 November 2026 show that around 2.3 million households in England and Wales had their bills reduced through water company social tariffs in 2025-26 — almost 380,000 more than the year before, a rise of 19%. The average reduction was £258 a year, up from £190 the previous year, and total support through the schemes reached about £606 million.
Even so, the watchdog warns the support is not keeping pace. The average water and sewerage bill has risen by around 34% over the past two years, and a CCW study published in summer 2026 estimated that around 1.8 million households were living in water poverty — spending more than 5% of their income after housing costs on water — before the record rises had fully taken hold. "Support from water companies is rising but so are water bills and the commitment water companies in England made to end water poverty by 2030 now looks like it has evaporated," said Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, when the figures were published.
The gap is also uneven by postcode. The average social-tariff reduction ranges from £159 a year at some companies to £474 at others, depending on which company supplies the household. The CCW is calling for a single social tariff across England and Wales to replace the current company-by-company schemes.
WaterSure: the cap many miss
One scheme is national, and it is the one struggling households most often overlook. WaterSure caps the bill of a metered household at its company's average household bill, however much water the household actually uses. To qualify, the household must be on a water meter, be receiving an income-related benefit, and either have three or more children under 19 living at home or include someone with a medical condition that requires a lot of water — such as a skin condition needing frequent washing, or incontinence.
More than 273,400 metered customers received help through WaterSure in 2025-26, securing an average bill reduction of £428, according to the CCW. That is a substantial saving, yet take-up remains far below the number of households who are likely to qualify, largely because people do not know the scheme exists. Unlike a social tariff, which each company designs differently, WaterSure's rules are the same everywhere in England and Wales, and it is applied for through the household's own water company.
Anyone who thinks they may qualify should ask their water company directly — about WaterSure and about its social tariff — rather than waiting for the company to offer. The same applies to a water meter: households without one, particularly small households in larger homes, may save by switching to metered billing, since the charge then follows actual use rather than the rateable value of the property. Companies also offer free water-saving devices, from shower timers to tap inserts, and fixing a dripping tap or a leaking toilet cistern can cut a metered bill noticeably.
Check your deal — and judge the delivery
For households, the practical steps are short. Check whether you are on a meter and whether one would help. Ask your water company about its social tariff and whether you qualify for WaterSure — the average WaterSure saving of £428 a year is the single largest piece of help available, and it goes unclaimed by many who are entitled to it. And if a complaint about a bill or a service is not resolved, the Consumer Council for Water gives free advice. The investment programme is the biggest the water industry has ever attempted. The bills to pay for it have already arrived; the results are what households are still waiting to see.