Citizens Advice responds to the announcement water bills will rise by 5.4% from April
Responding to the announcement that water bills are set to rise by 5.4% from April, Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“Soaring water costs are already hitting stretched households, pushing people to ration water use and cut back on groceries in desperate and often failed attempts to avoid falling behind on bills.
“No one should be priced out of water but with bills set to rise again by 5.4% in April, the situation for low-income households, who currently face a postcode lottery of bill support, will only get worse.
"The government missed an opportunity last week to commit to creating a national social tariff in its White Paper. The Independent Water Commission review was clear - creating a single social tariff is the best and fairest way to strengthen support and protect low-income households. Without it, current support measures will remain patchy and people will continue to fall through the cracks as water bills rise."
Additional data:
One in five bill payers were unable to afford their water bill in the last year. Of those who were unable to afford their water bill:
36% cut back on other essentials, such as groceries and energy use
37% cut back on the amount of water they used
22% went into arrears on their water account
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Notes to editors:
Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
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Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.
Yonder Consulting conducted a nationally representative online survey of energy bills payers for Citizens Advice with a total sample size of 4,364. Fieldwork was conducted between the 6th January - 18th January 2026. These results are based on respondents in England & Wales only and excludes anyone who doesn’t pay a water bill.
Respondents were asked: “Which of the following statements best reflects your ability to afford your water bill over the last 12 months?”
I can mostly afford my water bills but sometimes I can’t- 13%
I can rarely afford my water bills- 3%
I can never afford my water bills- 2%
One in five bill payers were unable to afford their water bill in the last year- NET of above answers
Respondents were asked: “You said you weren’t always able to afford your water bill over the last 12 months. Which of the following actions, if any, have you taken as a result of this? (Select all that apply)”
Delaying paying my water bill- 25%
Going into arrears on my water account- 22%
Cutting back the amount of water I use- 37%
Cutting back on other essentials, such as groceries and energy use- 36%
Borrowing money from family or friends to pay my water bill- 11%
Using credit card, overdraft, Buy Now Pay Later or other forms of credit to pay my water bill- 16%
Using credit card, overdraft, Buy Now Pay Later or other forms of credit to pay other bills or expenses as a result of paying my water bill- 11%