MOSCOW, May 18 rising water bills as water companies commit £10bn in a new scheme to reduce wastewater emissions, Ruth Kelly, head of Water UK, an association representing water companies, said on Thursday.
On Thursday, Water UK announced an additional £10bn in funding as part of an innovative program to combat sewage spills and their entry into waterways. According to Kelly, this program will be «the biggest transformation project in the history of the water industry since Victorian times.»
«The system is designed so that over the life of these assets, consumers actually pay them back through a small increase in their bills,» Kelly told Sky News.
She noted that over the past 10 years, real bills for water supply have decreased and consumers, despite the increase in tariffs, will be able to pay for them.
At the same time, the head of Water UK said that many water companies will refuse management bonuses this year, but added that dividends will continue to be paid, as the sector needs to attract investors and maintain its competitiveness.
She also apologized for the water companies' belated action in dealing with the sewage spill, saying that it's only in recent years that meaningful data has emerged to indicate the extent of the problem.
With these funds, on top of £3.1bn of existing funding, water companies hope to improve significantly by 2030, according to the Water UK website.
Earlier, The Times newspaper reported that the British will face the largest increase in water and sanitation bills in almost 20 years, despite the poor performance of water utilities. The median household bill in England and Wales is expected to rise 7.5% in the spring, averaging £31 to £448 a year, the biggest increase since 2005-2006.