Northumbrian Water To Keep Bills Low

12 December 2014, 08:09 | Updated: 12 December 2014, 08:17

Northumbrian Water bills for 2015-2020 will be pegged below the level of inflation.

The company says it will invest £880 million to continue to deliver leading drinking water quality for customers and to help protect their homes from flooding.

And it will also enhance its package of affordability measures including introducing a social tariff to help customers struggling to pay.

The company's bills are already amongst the lowest in the country and they will now remain so until 2020.

The water regulator Ofwat today published its final determination on Northumbrian Water's bills for 2015-2020 which will be pegged below the level of inflation.

Northumbrian Water supplies drinking water and waste water treatment to 2.7 million customers in the North East.

Included in the investment will be drinking water quality work to reduce the risk of pesticides entering the water supply, to reduce discoloured water and minimising interruptions to supply.

It also includes further environmental investment on the sewerage system to reduce flooding, make further improvements to rivers and bathing waters and reduce pollution incidents.

The water company's planned investment is also a welcome boost to the regional economy and employment with its extensive investment programme supporting thousands of local jobs.

Heidi Mottram, Northumbrian Water's Chief Executive Officer, said:
"While we appreciate that any increases in the household budget are unwelcome our customers will receive bills that rise, on average, by less than inflation.

The final determination appears to balance a good deal for customers with a tough challenge for the company.

There is a lot for us to consider within Ofwat's determination and it will take time for us to look in detail at many aspects.


Northumbrian Water is one of the best performing companies in the industry - with bills that are already amongst the lowest in the country - and our sustainable five-year business plan will ensure that our bills will continue to be amongst the lowest in the country until 2020."


The average Northumbrian Water bill for drinking water and waste water services for the current period (2014/15) is £364.