"Average yearly water and sewerage bills in England and Wales are forecast to rise by £31 (7.5%) to £448 in the forthcoming year, below inflation (November CPIH inflation, which regulators set as the benchmark, was 9.3%). Water bills remain lower, in real terms, than they were a decade ago," a statement read.
Meanwhile, Water UK policy director Stuart Colville said that although the average increase to bills would be below the current inflation rate, it would still be "unwelcome, particularly at the moment."
"Anyone with worries should contact their water company... and it's worth remembering that water companies will never cut anyone off, or make them use a prepayment meter," Colville said in the statement.
The UK's cost of living crisis has been provoked by growing inflation, which reached a 41-year high of 11.1% in October 2022. In November, the Bank of England raised its interest rate by 75 basis points to 3% per annum, the largest single increase in 33 years. The regulator also said that the UK economy had entered a recession expected to last until the second half of 2024.