Southern Water’s average combined household bill for water and wastewater treatment services is falling by £5 (1.3%) this year - the fourth year in a row bills have fallen in real terms (adjusted for inflation) and the second year that combined bills will be lower in absolute terms.

As customers face rapid cost-of-living increases, a typical combined bill per household is now expected to be £401.54 compared with an average charge of £406.91 last year – meaning a day’s services will cost £1.10.

The reduction in cost for household customers is consistent with the water company’s promise of average bill increases at or below inflation to 2025.

Second year of record investment ahead for Southern Water

At the same time, Southern Water invested a record £610 million across its network over the last year to improve assets and network, drive down leakage and pollution, protect the environment and prepare for the challenges of climate change.

The spend included fixing a record 12,000 pipes - all part of the company’s £2 billion-plus AMP7 investment to improve its assets and network. In the coming year Southern Water will invest a further £650 million.

Southern Water’s AMP7 investment to 2025 includes:

• £140 million in teams and technology to detect leaks in order to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025 £207 million to create the capacity and infrastructure necessary to support the 157,000 new homes forecast to be connected to its network by 2025
• £83 million via its Pollution Incident Reduction Programme to reduce risks and significantly increase monitoring of network to reduce the number of pollution incidents by over half (compared to 2019) by 2025
• £335 million of investments across Kent, including £21 million to improve the resilience of the Swalecliffe Wastewater Treatment Works and £42 million to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water from its Wingham and Burham sites
• £21 million of upgrades planned for its Swalecliffe Wastewater Treatment Works, including lengthening the site’s short sea outfall so stormwater releases happen further from the shore
• £473 million spend across Sussex, including upgrades at wastewater treatment works that discharge into Chichester and Pagham Harbours to enhance water quality, and a project in Wincheslea to reduce stormwater releases by preventing non-sewage entering the network.
• £37 million to upgrade sites and treatment processes at water supply sites in East Brighton and Weirwood
• £72 million investment by 2025 to improve local water quality and address declining health of Chichester, Langstone and Pagham harbours
• £474 million in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, including £35 million at Peel Common, £24 million at Millbrook and £13 million at Sandown to increase treatment and storage capacity
• £147 million in new water sources for Hampshire to keep taps and rivers flowing, including Havant Thicket reservoir (with Portsmouth Water), water re-use and water transfers
• £18 million of upgrades at Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works near Havant, including new storm tanks and pipework

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