Water bills to increase by average of just under seven per cent

WATER

1.  

   Roger Harrington

 

bills are to rise by an average of 6.81 per cent from April. Sembcorp

Bournemouth Water (SBW), which provides water to about 500,000 people across

Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, has received approval for the increases from

Ofwat, the water regulator which governs the price companies can charge.

The

rise, while slightly higher than the national average increase in water bills

across England and Wales,

means the average household charge for 2011/12 in the SBW area will be

approximately 40p a day. 

The

actual rise for individual households will depend, in the case of metered

customers, on the amount of water used or, in the case of customers who do not

have a meter, on the rateable value of the property. Some SBW customers will,

therefore, see smaller increases while others a larger increase.

Roger

Harrington, Managing Director, said: “Our ongoing investment in areas which our

customers say matter to them means that, regrettably, charges will rise.

“Ofwat

set price limits in 2009 for the period up to 2015 so that we can finance the

investment needed to maintain the water network and make some improvements to

the reliability of the service.

“The

regulator also set challenging efficiency targets so that bills will not be any

higher than they need to be.

“We

realise that any increases at present will not be welcomed but, to put our

prices into context, the average household charge for 2011/12 will still amount

to approximately 40p per day.

“We

believe that this represents good value for money and our intention is that our

charges will continue to remain that way.”

Mr

Harrington pointed out that SBW continued to be one of the water industry’s

leading performers.

He

said: “Customer service performance, water supply service and efficiency are

all among the best in our sector.

 “All this benefits our customers, with the

annual average bill currently 15 per cent, or £27, below the industry average.”

The

new charges take effect from April 1. SBW offers a number of payment options

and full details can be found on the company’s website at www.sembcorpbw.co.uk. There are many

things that the company can do to help, so if any customers are having

difficulty in paying their bills, then they should get in touch with the

company rather than let problems build up.