Water bills in Yorkshire to rise to help fund an £8.3bn investment programme
Average household water bills in Yorkshire are set to increase by 5.6 per cent in April, around £2.80 per month.
The increase, which was agreed by Ofwat in December 2024, will help fund an £8.3bn investment programme, which will improve customer service and environmental outcomes across the region.
The rise sits just above inflation and Yorkshire Water says it will enable them to continue delivering a wide range of infrastructure projects, totalling £1.1bn between April 2026 and April 2027.
The projects include:
- Progressing a £38m plan for reducing leakage across the region
- Replacing 353km of mains throughout Yorkshire, to reduce bursts and instances of water supply disruptions
- Exchanging a further 350,000 smart meters to help customers save water and reduce their bills
- Building more resilience into the clean water network with infrastructure upgrades
- Continuing a £1.5bn investment to reduce discharges into watercourses from more than 450 storm overflows across Yorkshire
Between 2025 and 2030, Yorkshire Water will be investing the equivalent of around £3,600 for every household in the region to improve infrastructure and customer service.
Matt Pinder, customer director at Yorkshire Water, said: “This is our largest ever investment package – designed to drive significant progress in areas we know are important to our customers.
"We’ve already delivered a huge number of infrastructure projects – over 200 in 2025 – and it’s important that we keep that momentum going over the next year, and beyond.
“The money we collect from customer bills, alongside shareholder investment and borrowing, will be spent on a wide variety of improvements across the region - from improvements to storm overflows to mains replacements and bringing in new water resources - alongside delivering a better service for our customers.”
Over the last 12 months, Yorkshire Water’s investment has delivered significant improvements, including replacing over 120km of mains across the region and employing an additional 900 members of staff to improve customer service.
Matt added: “Of course, we know that bill rises will be difficult for some of our customers. Over the five years, we’ll be providing £375m in financial support to 345,000 customers through a range of different schemes – I would encourage anyone who is struggling financially to contact us to discuss the options available to them.”
The utility offers two bill reduction schemes, Water Support and Water Sure, and three schemes to support customers with water bill debts: Resolve, Community Trust, and Direct Support.
Customers can receive advice about being placed on a water meter, and whether this would reduce their bill.
Customers can find details of financial support schemes and eligibility at www.yorkshirewater.com or reach out by contacting 03451299299.
Individual bills may rise by different amounts, depending on the customer’s specific charges.
During February, March and April, Yorkshire Water colleagues will also be out and about talking to customers at bill support drop-ins across Yorkshire.
Customers will be able to find out about immediate support they could get with their bill and sign up for the Priority Service Register – a free service that enables Yorkshire Water to provide a tailored service to those with specific needs.