Hosepipe ban and rising costs brings Ofwat criticism from MP

Rachel Gilmour, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has spoken out after the regulator provisionally approved a £3.4bn spending increase for water companies, including Wessex Water, which could be allowed to raise customer bills starting in 2027.

According to the party, average bills under the proposals would rise by £4 in 2027-28 and by £7 in 2029-30.

Ms Gilmour said: "Once again, billpayers are set to be rinsed for using an essential resource thanks to a useless regulator.

"Ofwat is merely a rubber stamp for failure.

"Hardworking families are being forced to cough up another £3.4bn to fix a broken water network that greedy executives have neglected for decades."

Ofwat’s approval, announced on Thursday, August 13, is still subject to public consultation until Thursday, September 24, with a final decision expected in December.

Wessex Water is one of five out of 13 companies permitted to recover these costs through customer bills before 2030.

The announcement comes as Wessex Water introduced its first hosepipe ban since 1976, which came into effect after midnight today and affects many of Ms Gilmour’s constituents in Somerset.

Ms Gilmour said: "During times of hosepipe bans and high leakage numbers, why should my constituents be subjected to higher water bills when the quality of their service has decreased?

"How many times do we have to call for the toothless Ofwat to be scrapped before the government actually do it?

"They made the commitment, but they can't seem to follow through."

However, Wessex Water has challenged these claims, saying it is incorrect to claim customers will face higher bills despite facing water restrictions.

A spokesperson for Wessex Water said: "To save water, the regulator has asked all water companies to look at whether the heaviest water users could be charged more and lower water users charged less in the future.

"Our decision to put a hosepipe ban in place was due to a combination of extremely high demand for water and longer-term weather forecasts, meaning resources must be protected for both customers and the environment."

Liberal Democrat analysis revealed Wessex Water lost 25,221.5m litres of water to leaks in 2024-25 - equivalent to roughly 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day.

The party has called for a ban on bonuses for water company bosses until they fix leaks, strengthening the triggers for special administration to hold failing companies to account for the costs they pass on to customers, and a single social tariff to help eliminate water poverty.

Wessex Water have responded to these claims by saying the region has seen a 60 per cent reduction in water leakage in the last three decades, with find-and-fix rates rising by over a third in the last month alone.

It also said it is committed to nearly £4bn of new investment during the current regulatory period, which runs until 2030.

The spokesperson added: “Record investment between now and 2030 will fund critical water and sewerage treatment improvements, schemes to reduce storm overflow discharges and the removal of nutrients from treated wastewater discharges so housebuilding can continue at key locations like the Somerset Levels.

“While bills remain lower in real terms than they were 15 years ago, we know any increase is unwelcome.

"As always, we have plenty of support available to any customers who are struggling to pay.

“We were the first company to introduce a social tariff for water, offering discounts of up to 90 per cent for those least able to pay, and we believe nobody should spend more than five per cent of their disposable household income on their water bill.

“If you are struggling, please contact us.

"The range of help we offer includes flexible payment plans, payment breaks, debt support and more.”