Outrage over water bill 50% hikes

The Welshpool area is outraged by the eye-popping 50% increases that Hafren Dyfrdwy have added to their local bills, telling customers that they have no option but to cough up, or seek help.

MyWelshpool has contacted the area’s water provider after being inundated with readers’ complaints, and we have spoken to MP, Steve Witherden, and MS, Russell George, who are both seeking urgent meetings with Hafren Dyfrdwy top brass.

The outrage started after bills dropped through letterboxes and in-boxes last week, prompting our correspondent to contact the company to point out there was a ‘mistake’ in their bill.

Sadly, the company responded that the bills were accurate and that money was urgently needed to fund over £200million of infrastructure and upgrade work over the next five years.

With no other providers, residents can't shop around, which means Hafren Dyfrdwy can charge what they want. One reader said the waiting time on their helpline is 95 minutes.

However, their charges go against the guidance issued by industry watchdog, OfWat, who state that our bills should not be going up by more than £100 on average this year, and by a maximum of £165 by 2030. This year, our correspondent’s bill has gone up by nearly £200 alone.

Anti-poverty campaigner, Cllr Joy Jones, told us “it is crippling hard working people”, and added that “it’s going to cause people to fall into debt with the cost of living that is already having a huge impact on people”.

What OfWat states:

Average household bills will increase by £165 from 2024-2025 to 2029-30 for Hafren Dyfrdwy customers, before inflation. This includes an average rise of £100 between 2024-25 and 2025-26.

What Hafren Dyfrdwy has done (our correspondent’s story):

My jaw dropped when I saw the figure on my water bill. The figure shoved in front of me is £592.16, a rise approaching 50% from the £407.65 I had to cough up last year. And that was a rise of 30% from the 2023 bill of £309.65. So, my bill has almost doubled in two years.

What MP, Steve Witherden, has said:

“Hafren Dyfrdwy’s hiking of bills is totally unacceptable. I am of the opinion that any natural monopoly being exploited for private profit is immoral – consumers have nowhere else to go, there is no alternative. This why I favour nationalisation of mail, rail, water, and energy.

“While not all are being hit as badly as the 50% increase many are reporting, I have heard numerous horror stories from constituents, including one single mother facing a bill of £700 for the year.

“I am scheduling a meeting with the CEO of Hafren Dyfrdwy to discuss these hikes as soon as possible. I want to understand how constituents can question their bills without being left on hold for hours, whether there is a suitable appeals process, what mitigation schemes they have in place, and how many people the company expects to fall behind on paying.

“Constituents also deserve to know where the money is going, especially how much is evaporating straight into the pockets of shareholders. I will be updating constituents on my progress getting answers to these concerns.”

What MS, Russell George, has said:

“The increase in water charges, in just a short period of time, is just not acceptable. Hafren Dyfrdwy have agreed to meet with me.

“OfWat have a duty to regulate the industry and ensure that consumers’ interests are protected, and I am also seeking to meet with them, and to ask them to investigate several specific examples of excessive increase in charges that have been raised with me.”

This is how James Jesic, Hafren Dyfrdwy Managing Director, explained the hike:

“Hafren Dyfrdwy customers have the lowest bill in Wales and one of the lowest in the UK, and we have been worked hard to keep bills affordable as possible while delivering record levels of investment.

“Over the next five years we’re investing over £260million to meet the growing expectations of our customers, increase our resilience to climate change and to tackle key priorities such as supply interruptions and river health.

“But we don’t want anyone to struggle paying their bill, which is why we have a range of support available including WaterSure and the Here2Help Scheme, and we remain committed to helping customers so they do not worry about paying their bills.”

NOTE: We have asked OfWat to comment on the increase.