Who's paying most for water bills in Britain?

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There are big differences in the amount you are likely to pay to your water utilities depending on where you live in the UK. That’s according to our newest infographic, we've brought together the average yearly (metered) cost for water for different regions and colour coded them into a useful map.

The colour code runs from blue for the lowest cost up to red for the most expensive water (and wastewater charges) in the country. The good news is that if you live in in the middle of England and towards the North East, you should expect to pay less for your water supply. If you live in the south you might want to consider rainwater harvesting quick!

Scotland and Wales are slightly more expensive but by far the most costly water supply is found in the southern counties. Anywhere along the English Channel, you’ll be paying over the odds compared to the rest of the country.

Unlike gas and electricity supplies, there’s a lower number of water utility companies in the UK fixed by region. The most expensive prices based on typical usage (165 m3/yr for a 4 person household) come from South West Water so if you live in Cornwall and parts of Devon you can expect to pay £943 a year for the example usage (165 m3/yr). Wessex Water and Southern Water aren’t much cheaper, with charges of £728 and £673 respectively. South West water does seem like an outlier so Freeflush went direct to the source data here which tallies very well!! Definitely a good reason to consider rainwater harvesting.

The cheapest place to get your water is actually across the City of London and up towards Essex and the surrounding counties. Thames Water charge just £440 a year while Severn Trent, which basically covers everywhere from Bristol to Birmingham and the lower edge of Yorkshire, comes in at a reasonable £502 per year.

The full list of water companies and their yearly bills is as follows:

Thames Water: £440
Severn Trent: £502
Northumberland Water: £539
Yorkshire Water: £562
Northern Ireland Water: £596
Scottish Water: £600
Anglian Water: £619
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water: £636
United Utilities: £652
Southern Water: £673
Wessex Water: £728
South West Water: £943

Freeflush gathered the data for England and Wales from the Consumer Council of Water using their water meter calculator and basing figures on an average household of four people using 165 m3 per year. Data for Northern Ireland and Scottish Water was gathered separately. The information shows that water prices vary significantly across the UK and what you pay generally depends on where you live and who your water company is.

You can download the Water Charges Across Britain infographic here.

Water bill charges across britain by water company