Five more water suppliers ask regulator for right to raise bills by more than maximum

Additional pressures in the settlement are unacceptable

- Kalyeena Makortoff Jasper Jolly

Five more water firms have asked the competition watchdog to allow them to raise bills beyond the agreed maximum until the end of the decade.

Southern Water, Anglian Water, South East Water, Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water said yesterday they had asked Ofwat, the regulator for England and Wales, to refer its ruling on their business plans for 2025 to 2030 to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

They join Thames Water, which announced its decision to appeal last week, meaning six firms representing the majority of customers in England are asking to charge customers more than was agreed.

Ofwat sets bills for England and Wales over five-year periods. Its latest settlement, approved in December, allowed suppliers to raise average prices by 36% over five years from 1 April, before adding inflation.

However, the water companies who appealed all claim that the allowed increases would not be enough to invest in pipes, drains, reservoirs and treatment works.

The six appeals are the most made against Ofwat's price determinations since privatisation in 1989. Four companies appealed in 2020, gaining some concessions.