As Ofwat delivered the bad news, around 60,000 properties in Southampton and south Hampshire lost access to running water and were having to rely on bottles for all their needs. The supplier, Southern Water, is the very company raising bills the most – by some 53 per cent. A “technical issue” is blamed; it is, of course, only the latest in a long saga of sinking standards across the industry, including excessive discharges of sewage into rivers and the sea, and some firms now facing bankruptcy and possible taxpayer rescue to stay afloat. As the prime minister might put it, there are “choppy waters” ahead…
How much are bills rising?
It depends where you live, but there will be hikes all round. The water companies, privatised in 1989, asked for an average rise of 40 per cent and they got most of what they wanted. Over the next five years, the average rise in bills will be £31 a year higher, but more in the first year. The pain will be greater because there is a link to inflation. The era of cheap water is over.
Why is this happening?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 20, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 20, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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