Thames Water 40% Bill Increase – No Transparency, No Justification!

buglawton

I came here after seeing an exactly 33% increase.

From £ 557.22 to £ 740.73 for 2 people in a 3 bedroom house in one year. We were previously assessed after the technician visited, looked at our split arrangement with 2 main stopcocks and said water meter not possible.

Naturally I'll be calling Thames Water. In the past when sorting out some issues with a property let, I was able to reach them and resolve things. Wonder how it will go this time.

MattMattMattUK

buglawton said:

I came here after seeing an exactly 33% increase.

From £ 557.22 to £ 740.73 for 2 people in a 3 bedroom house in one year. We were previously assessed after the technician visited, looked at our split arrangement with 2 main stopcocks and said water meter not possible.

Naturally I'll be calling Thames Water. In the past when sorting out some issues with a property let, I was able to reach them and resolve things. Wonder how it will go this time.

If your "resolve" is to get your assessed charge reduced they will say no, but it might be time to look at how your internal plumbing is set up, as mentioned by a PP it may be possible to have things rejigged and then get a meter which will almost certainly be cheaper and put you in control. 

breakingbarriers5

Same here mine raised by 50%, l called them and challenged them had two men come for water reading and they actually confirmed that my water usage was consistent nothing had changed meaning there was no reason to raise the bill that much. I have challenged and challenged and they have shut me down 

jimjames

breakingbarriers5 said:

Same here mine raised by 50%, l called them and challenged them had two men come for water reading and they actually confirmed that my water usage was consistent nothing had changed meaning there was no reason to raise the bill that much. I have challenged and challenged and they have shut me down 

The key thing is to check the amount you pay per m3 of water and for taking it away again compared to previous bill. Those are the numbers that have gone up so even if your use has remained constant then your bill will go up by the same amount which could be near 50%

moaningminnie

FedUpConsumer128 said:

Hi everyone,

I’m posting to see if others are facing the same outrageous bill increase from Thames Water and to figure out what can be done. My latest bill has gone up by 40% with no proper explanation, and every attempt to get answers has been met with corporate nonsense, vague responses, or outright ignoring my complaint.

Here’s what I’ve experienced so far:

1. No clear breakdown of why my bill has jumped by 40%—just generic excuses about “rising costs.”
2. Thames Water ignoring complaints—emails bounce back, and customer service gives scripted, unhelpful answers.
3. Financial support schemes shrouded in secrecy—they demand intrusive personal financial details before even telling customers what they might be eligible for.
4. CCW (Consumer Council for Water) refusing to step in, saying Ofwat approved the increase.
5. Ofwat offering no direct contact options, just a voicemail system with no real help.

It feels like Thames Water is hiding behind bureaucracy while forcing customers to pay for their financial mismanagement.

📢 Has anyone else had success challenging this?
📢 Are there any action groups or legal options we can take?
📢 What’s the best way to pressure Thames Water and Ofwat to respond properly?

I’ve already contacted my MP, Ofwat, and consumer rights journalists, but more voices might help push this issue into the spotlight.

Would love to hear from others facing the same situation!

Hi. came on here after my bill went from £12 a month to £80 a month. I called them in February and got the same shrugging off that you experienced. Another call today which was slightly more illuminating:

Our standing charges have gone from £4 & £11 to £22 and £46. The first of these rises is 45% second 31%.
I was told that OfWat instructed Thames Water to raise their prices and that Thames had no choice.

The financial support will be my next chat with them, but the support doesn't lower the bill, just stretches it out.

After my phone call in February I was taken off paper billing - their online accounts get ZERO emails. My utility bills are all online and I get monthly statements. Because they have not contacted me at all I have gone into debt. I only discovered this after a very vague and spammy looking text from them.

The direct email for OfWat is mailbox@ofwat.gsi.gov.uk

There were headlines today about some companies having a percentage rise - but 45% from Thames seems very under reported.

Also when they estimate our bills they estimate that we wash our car weekly and water a garden we don't have . I try to read the meter but with NO contact from them it went out of my mind - I questioned why they estimated we would use £122 worth more water than we ever had and they replied "watering your garden" - the fact we don't have a garden is not taken into any account on their system.

daneurl

This is scandalous! I’ve just got off the phone with Thames Water as my new 6 month term starts this month, so they’ve applied 40% increase to my bills! My monthly bill has gone up by 300%. They said there was a slight increase in water consumption by 10L.

SHOCKING!

They have changed from a 12-24 month bill cycle to 6 months. You can’t change the direct debit and all bills are up 40%! 

How were they allowed to do this! Back in 2013 OFWAT denied them a 9% increase how has this been allowed! 

They said a notification went out in April 2025 to all customers and there is nothing we can do about it but somehow absorb the costs!

Does the CEO still get a bonus and is there a 40% reduction in exec salaries and bonuses at Thames Water?

MattMattMattUK

daneurl said:

This is scandalous! I’ve just got off the phone with Thames Water as my new 6 month term starts this month, so they’ve applied 40% increase to my bills! My monthly bill has gone up by 300%. They said there was a slight increase in water consumption by 10L.

SHOCKING!

You can look at your own usage figures if you are on a meter, but from the sound if it your usage was higher than your previous payments covered so you are playing catchup.

daneurl said:

They have changed from a 12-24 month bill cycle to 6 months. 

Yes, they have, as have most water suppliers, all will generate a bill if you submit a water meter reading if you want to do that every month to keep fully accurate.

daneurl said:

How were they allowed to do this! Back in 2013 OFWAT denied them a 9% increase how has this been allowed! 

2013 was over a decade ago, bills have risen since and there has been 50+ years of underinvestment in our water networks, so we need to invest to keep the water flowing, stop sewage being dumped etc. There was an increase last year, there is an increase this year, there will be increases ahead of inflation for every year until at least the end of the decade. 

daneurl said:

They said a notification went out in April 2025 to all customers and there is nothing we can do about it but somehow absorb the costs!

There was, it was also in the news multiple times a week for several months, Thames Water nearly going bust etc.

daneurl said:

Does the CEO still get a bonus and is there a 40% reduction in exec salaries and bonuses at Thames Water?

There is not a 40% reduction, but executive remuneration has been reduced, bonuses for the C-Suite have been reduced and dividend payments suspended.

Unfortunately like must of the infrastructure in the UK decades of underinvestment is coming home to roost, if we do not the lights will go out, the water will stop flowing, the roads will fail, the roofs will fall into classrooms, patients will languish in the corridors, criminals will go unchallenged etc. 

jimjames

daneurl said:

They have changed from a 12-24 month bill cycle to 6 months. You can’t change the direct debit and all bills are up 40%! 

If you're not happy with the DD then switch to paying on receipt of bill. Most people find that less convenient as it's a larger lump sum to find every 6 months.