The rise, which is two percentage points above December’s official inflation figure, and will take the average bill to £639. Some households will face steeper rises with the increases for the main water and sewerage companies ranging from 0.4% to 10%.

The highest increase is for a water-only company - Affinity Water customers will see their bills rise 13%.

Water companies are currently delivering a £104 billion investment programme between 2025 to 2030 -capital investment is at record levels and up by more than a third in just two years.

The money raised by water bills can only be used to fund infrastructure that is independently determined to be new, necessary and value for money. There is a money-back guarantee which means that if improvements are not delivered, customer bills will automatically be refunded by the regulator.

More than two million households currently receive help with their bills through social tariffs, the WaterSure scheme and other affordability measures - four times the number of broadband customers receiving financial support. An extra 300,000 households are expected to receive support in 2026-27, taking the total number to around 2.5 million. The expected average discount will be around 40%. A total of £4.1 billion in support has been committed for the period 2025–2030.

Support varies locally and can include reduced bills, payment breaks and, in some cases, debt forgiveness.

David Henderson, Water UK Chief Executive, said:

“We understand increasing bills is never welcome, but the money is needed to fund vital upgrades to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.

“While we urgently need investment in our water and sewage infrastructure, we know that for many this increase will be difficult. That is why we will help around 2.5 million households – more than ever before – with average discounts of around 40% off their water bill.”

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) says the fresh wave of water bill rises, which comes on the back of the current year’s record rise in charges, strengthens the case for fairer and more consistent support for struggling customers, who are still trying to absorb the impact of the previous unprecedented increase.

CCW has repeated its call for an overhaul of the existing postcode lottery created by water company social tariff schemes.

Some households will face steeper rises with the increases for the main water and sewerage companies ranging from 0.4% to 10%. Other factors, such as whether a customer is metered and how much water they use, means the bill changes will vary considerably for customers depending on their circumstances.

Worries over the impact of water bill rises appear to be growing among customers with CCW seeing a 51% increase in complaints about water companies in 2025 – driven mainly by concerns around affordability and upset over the scale of last April’s increase.

CCW says while water companies have been increasing support for people struggling to pay, customers still face a patchwork of different social tariff schemes, rather than their actual level of need – can too often determine what support they receive.

CCW is warning that as a result, some companies in England are in danger of breaking their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030.

Mike Keil, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said:

“We’ve seen complaints brought to CCW about the affordability of water bills almost triple in the past year and further bill rises will compound people’s worries. People support investment in improving services, but they are impatient for change and need to see compelling evidence their money is being well spent.”

“A stronger safety net is also needed for those who simply can’t afford these bill rises. Our independent review of water affordability back in 2021 made clear that a universal single social tariff would ensure financial support flows to where it is needed most. The postcode lottery of financial assistance created by existing water company social tariffs is unfair and unsustainable in the face of rising water bills."

Ofwat’s interim Chief Executive, Chris Walters, commented:

“These bill increases are supporting a record investment of £104bn to deliver long-term improvements to the water sector by 2030.

“By April 2027, we are expecting water companies to have installed more than 8 million water meters in homes to help customers manage their bills; to have replaced almost 3,000km of piping that will ensure customers experience fewer supply disruptions and; reduce sewage spills from storm overflows by 30% from 2024 levels. These are just three examples that will help us reach our collective goal of cleaner rivers and seas, more resilient water supplies, and better services for customers and the environment.

“We will continue to monitor performance and hold companies to account as they progress on this journey. Money received by companies from customers is ringfenced for improvements, so if they do not deliver on their commitments, they will be made to return money to customers in their future bills.

“However, we also recognise that these bill increases may be difficult for some people. That is why we approved a doubling of company support available for customers who are struggling to pay and now, more than 2 million households are accessing this help.”