Water firms urged to step up bills help for vulnerable people

Water companies should spend more on helping vulnerable customers, according to consumer groups, as households in England and Wales brace for steep bill increases to be announced this week.

- Jasper Jolly

The water regulator, Ofwat, is due to reveal on Thursday how much water bills will rise over the five years from next April.

The industry is asking for permission to charge billions of pounds more to pay for upgrades but also to recoup financial returns for its investors.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW), which represents households, said it was concerned rising bills would make water unaffordable.

Mike Keil, the CCW's chief executive, said: "There needs to be far greater ambition from some water companies in providing support to households who are not going to be able to afford these large bill rises. Companies' existing plans fall short of meeting the commitment they previously made to end water poverty in England by 2030 and Ofwat should push them harder to deliver on this."

Some campaigners want to see the introduction of a single social tariff for water, funded by a common pot into which all suppliers would pay.