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There’s no nice way to put this, but everything’s about to get more expensive, again. The cost-of-living crisis looks to continue, as the water supply company Severn Trent, which covers the West Midlands and beyond to Gloucester, Leicester and even parts of Wales, will increase water bills by 10%.
This is almost double the average 5.4% rise for England and Wales, with the average bill for 2026/27 around £587 per year, £48.94 a month or £1.61 per day. The rise will hit Severn Trent customers from April, with the company arguing that bills will remain the second lowest in England and Wales.
Compared to other water companies, it is the fourth highest increase, after Affinity’s 13%, Bristol’s 12% and SES Water’s 11%. In cash terms, the average Severn Trent bill will increase by £52 per year, compared to UU’s increase of £57 and Southern’s extra £55. But this will do little to quell recent public anger towards water companies.
In recent years, controversies have surrounded the amount of sewage being released into our waterways, while massive infrastructure upgrades are being funded at the expense of the public through increased bills. Water and sewage industry regulator, Ofwat, permitted price hikes of up to 36% between 2025 and 2030
Most of that was added to last year’s annual rise, which saw water bills rise by 20% for an average of £86 extra a year. But Severn Trent argues that “bills remain the second lowest in the country, £73 below the national average for water and waste services and £172 lower than the highest bill.”
How can I get help?
Worried about the increase? Eligible customers across the Midlands could save up to £390 on their water bill, with a range of support options—including discounts, debt support, payment breaks, smart meters and more. By 2030, Severn Trent aims to be helping around 1 in 6 households with some form of financial support.
What else is Severn Trent doing?
“We are also committed to continue investing in the things our customers told us they care about,” said a Severn Trent spokesperson. “Around £8m a day is being spent on investment like laying new pipes, brand new water sources, river health and creating thousands of jobs, as our £15bn investment for the Midlands continues.”
Severn Trent’s £15bn investment by 2030 is expected to go into the water company, laying over 870 miles of new water pipes (£415m), improving river health, aiming to prevent more spills from overflows (over £1.7bn), and creating 7,000 jobs for the Midlands.
Yet, to many, these price increases still seem unfair, as River Action chief executive James Wallace argues: “When the water sector brags about ‘record investment’, what it really means is that bill payers, not water companies, are being forced to pick up the tab for decades of failure.
“The privatised, pollution-for-profit model has failed. Until water companies are owned and governed for public and environmental benefit, using long-term patient capital, we will keep seeing regulatory failure and polluted rivers.”