Water bills are rising - but there are ways to make decent savings
The prices we pay for our water supply are regulated by watchdog Ofwat which has announced an average increase of 5.7%. Those worst hit are customers of Southern Water who will suffer rises of 8.2%.
Merely raising charges in line with inflation - currently at 5.2%- would add £18.50 to the average household bill, taking it to £374.50, but increases in most areas are to be far higher. Meanwhile National Debtline has reported that calls for help with water debts have increased by a third in the past year.
The charity has reported that nearly 10 per cent of all callers now have water debt problems.
The Money Advice Trust, the charity which runs National Debtline, expects that scheduled price rises will drive even more people into debt.
Joanna Elson, chief executive of the Money Advice Trust, said: "The number of people calling us for help with water debts has been sharply increasing over the last few years. The sobering fact is that paying water bills is becoming increasingly difficult for many households across the country, and it doesn't seem to be a problem that will go away any time soon. Indeed planned price rises will most likely make the problem even worse.
"While the price rises may be in line with inflation, they are not in line with any growth in earnings, meaning water bills will take up more and more of the money we bring in."
Whether you owe your water board money or not, you won't want to pay over the odds.
It may work out cheaper to have a water meter installed. This means paying only for what water is used rather than the set rate dictated by Ofwat.
A person living alone could save about £100 a year, according to the Consumer Council for Water (CCW).
As a rule of thumb, if there are more bedrooms than people in a household, a water meter could be more cost-effective, according to uSwitch.com.
If you find you are not saving money or your circumstances change, you can switch back to unmeasured within 12 months.
Half of all households in England and Wales are expected to have a water meter and pay for what they use by 2015, rising to 90 per cent by 2050.
Further savings can be made by not over-filling kettles, turning the tap off while brushing teeth and installing a water-saving device such as a Hippo in your toilet cistern.
Around a third of the water we use goes straight down the loo. If you have an older style toilet, a water displacement device, such as a hippo, can help save water with every flush.
And make sure you replace worn washers on leaky taps. In one week, a dripping tap can waste enough water to fill half a bath.
For anyone already on metered supply these measures can mean significant savings on water use and therefore their water bills.
Check out https://www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk/freepack to find out more.
If you are struggling to pay water bills you might be eligible for help through the WaterSure scheme (http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/consumerissues/assistance/watersure/) which is available for certain customers with a water meter. It allows them to have their bills capped to make sure they are not forced to scrimp on water because they are worried about paying their bill.