Improvements pledged as water bills are set to rise

The region’s biggest water company has said it will invest at least £730m into Norfolk’s sewage and water services… but this will come at a big cost to customers.Ofwat – the water company regulator – has agreed Anglian Water can raise bills by 29 per cent which will mean the average customer will have to pay £140 more a year than it does currently.Annual bills will rise to £631 compared to £491 people are paying on average this year.

It comes as the firm has announced a £11bn investment plan covering the period between 2025 – 2030, which includes creating new reservoirs, installing new pipelines and £2.7bn for flood and drought resilience.It is understood Norfolk will see about £730m of direct investment but the exact figures are yet to be finalised.Announcing the investment plan, Mark Thurston, chief executive of Anglian Water, said: “Our investment programme will create thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs in the region, which in turn will enable essential growth in housing, commerce and industry. “This puts Anglian Water at the heart of one of the most thriving and economically vibrant regions of our country. ”He added that the price increase is among the lowest in the UK, despite the big investment. Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk, has praised the move and hopes it will better protect Norfolk’s rare chalk streams.He said: “It is a major reform and will allow the Environment Agency to bring forward criminal charges against law-breaking water executives.“It will create new tougher penalties, including imprisonment, for water executives when companies fail to co-operate or obstruct investigations.” Steff Aquarone, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, also welcomed the investment.He said: “While I welcome the announcement, I will continue to demand that North Norfolk gets its fair share of this money to upgrade our ageing water infrastructure. Much of it was built in the 70s and can no longer handle the heavy downpours brought on by current climate change.”However, the move has faced criticism from Norfolk MPs, who believe the public shouldn’t be made to pay, arguing there has been “chronic underinvestment” from the privatised water companies for decades.Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, said: “Ofwat is making us pay for decades of criminal behaviour by water companies. Time to scrap both of them and give the public a real say over the future of our water.” Water firms have come under fire in recent years for failing to invest adequately in sewage and water infrastructure, while millions of pounds have been paid to shareholders.Mr Lewis hopes to introduce a new law via a private member’s bill to parliament, that would set new water targets and objectives for water management and establish a new commission to advise how to achieve them.The 30 per cent increase to customers’ bills could cause some people to struggle to meet the increased costs.Mr Thurston added that a support package will be offered to help those that can’t afford the increase. He said: “We have put forward a strong package of support for vulnerable customers.“This will help those in difficult circumstances and at risk of being in water poverty to get the financial support they need, including a discounted tariff for those with certain medical needs.”Another bill, the Water (Special Measures) Bill, has been proposed by House of Lords members, which aims to improve water quality and address sewage discharge through tougher powers.It follows public anger at the amount of sewage that is released into rivers and lakes every year through storm overflows – a system where wastewater is allowed to be released to avoid homes being flooded at times of exceptional weather.