Anglian Water has unveiled a half a billion pound investment programme for the year ahead which includes a £9 million spend on flood prevention work.

Announcing the programme, the water company said the investment, part of a £5 billion commitment to 2020, will be paid for by bills of just £1.12 per day, or £411 per year on average – an increase of 1.4 per cent, or 2 pence per day, on last year including inflation.

Bills are still lower than they were three years ago after Anglian Water dropped its prices by 7% last year,  cutting average bills by £29 - the biggest reduction of any major water company in the UK.

The 85 per cent of customers who have a water meter and use it will continue to pay even less, with the average bill at £378, or just over one pound per day.

Martyn Oakley, Anglian Water’s Director of Customer and Information Services, said:

“Bills are back down to what they were three years ago thanks to the reductions we’ve made and the top priority we place on being efficient and offering value for money. We’re keeping costs as low as possible for the long term while investing heavily in the region in line with customer priorities.”

Funding includes £9 million to be invested in flood prevention work

The £444 million to be invested over the next 12 months includes £8million to be invested to reduce flooding from sewers as part of a £45 million focus on flooding that will protect hundreds of properties by 2020. Anglian has also set £1 million aside specifically to match fund flood projects in collaboration with partner agencies, such as local authorities, that are also responsible for the drainage system.

The water company said the money will get more flood prevention schemes off the ground and help to overcome the challenges of often complex ownership responsibilities across the wider drainage network.

The funding for flood partnership projects will enable councils and other organisations to bid for funds to deliver improvements that will prevent flooding inside people’s homes. This is in addition to Anglian Water’s existing planned programme of investment.

The water company said the total £8 million pot of money has been set aside specifically to overcome the challenges presented by the complex, interconnected drainage network that exists in every town and city.

Spend includes £30m on leakage

Other work in Anglian Water’s programme for the next year includes:

• £30 million to keep leakage levels at industry-leading lows as part of a five year, £60million war on leakage through to 2020
• £24 million maintaining, refurbishing and replacing parts of the 37,000km water pipe network
• £15 million for jetting and cleaning sewers to keep them clear of fatbergs and wipes
• £12 million to connect hundreds more homes to the mains sewerage network for the first time in the next year, with more than £70million investment over the five years to 2020
• Around £10million – rising to £30million over the next three years – to adopt and refurbish private pumping stations that will become our responsibility in 2017. It will mean reduced energy costs for those customers with one and reduce the risk of flooding or pollution
• £7 million to survey and refurbish hundreds of kilometres of sewers in places like Southend, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth and Beccles
• £2.4 million in sludge and Combined Heat and Power plantsto ensure resilient and efficient renewable supplies, together with five new solar sites going into operation this year.
•  £1.3 million to protect and improve the region’s coastline and coastal waters by tracing and investigating sources of pollution.