THOUSANDS of households will see their water bills reduced after 11 suppliers were found to be "falling short" of standards.
Water regulator Ofwat has ordered the affected water companies to reduce customers' bills by almost £150million in total.
Bill discounts will be made the next financial year, which runs from April 6 2023 to April 5 2024.
The 11 water companies who have been told to reduce bills are:
- Affinity Water
- Anglian Water
- Dŵr Cymru
- Hafren Dyfrdwy
- Northumbrian Water
- SES Water
- South East Water
- South West Water
- Southern Water
- Thames Water
- Yorkshire Water
These suppliers cover most of England and Wales' supply.
But other companies which exceeded their targets will be able to recover more money from customers, meaning they could see their bills go up.
The watchdog regulates suppliers, and if companies don't meet a number of targets, they are hit with penalties.
We've asked Ofwat what the average bill discount affected customers will see, and we will update this article when we have more information.
The 11 firms have to knock money off customers' bills because they have missed targets such as water supply interruptions, pollution incidents and internal sewer flooding.
The amount that customers will get will vary depending on how much each company has been told to reduce bills by, and the number of households each supplier serves.
The poorest performing companies were Southern Water and Thames Water, who have to return almost £80million to customers.
Ofwat chief executive David Black said the 11 companies were "falling short" of the service they should be giving to customers.
He added: "We expect companies to improve their performance every year; where they fail to do so, we will hold them to account."
Consumer Council for Water senior director of policy, research and campaigns Mike Keil said: "The scale of these penalties reflects the extent to which too many water companies have failed to deliver on promises made to their customers and it’s right households are reimbursed.
“This will help to ensure bills do not rise as much as anticipated next April for some customers but it won’t be enough to cushion the blow for the one in ten households that already say their water bill is unaffordable."
The average combined water bill comes to £419 a year.
But there are a number of ways to lower your bill - we explain how.
How to cut water costs
Moving to a water meter could could help some save some extra cash.
One mum more than HALVED her water bill after getting a meter – saving over £200 a year.
Obviously if you do use a lot of water then it makes no sense to have a meter as your bills could go UP.
The Consumer Council for Water offers a free water meter calculator that'll tell you if you can save by fitting a water meter.
For example, if you have a big family and more people than bedrooms or simply use lots of water intensive appliances like washing machines or dishwashers, a fixed fee will be better for you.
According to Uswitch you could cut £70 from your energy bills and reduce your water bills too by reducing your wash time.
And leaving the water running while you brush your teeth could add £60 a year to your bills says Octopus.
The same goes for washing dishes, be sure you turn the tap off as if you’re doing it in the sink, leaving it running will add £25 to your annual bill.
Many water companies offer free water-saving devices that shave pounds off your bills too.
Contact your supplier or check out savewatersavemoney.co.uk.
You can get help to cover the costs of your water bill too.
Water companies offer a range of support to struggling households, including a cap on bills for large families and those with certain medical conditions through the WaterSure scheme.
To qualify for the scheme you need to already have a water meter installed, and prove you need to use a lot of water.