Southern price increase of 54% - doesn't this break Ofwat's price cap?

Mark10

My cubic metre sewage charge from Southern increased in March from 246.10p to 379.40p, which is 54%.

I understood that Ofwat had capped it to a lower number.  Can anyone shed any light on this?

MattMattMattUK

Mark10 said:

My cubic metre sewage charge from Southern increased in March from 246.10p to 379.40p, which is 54%.

I understood that Ofwat had capped it to a lower number.  Can anyone shed any light on this?

Ofwat did not cap the increases, they effectively directly set the new rates that suppliers could charge.

The way that was reported was an average (mean) increase across all users. Those users break down into two major groups, metered and unmetered and then the former breaks down into different usage levels. The increase percentages reported are also across both the standing charges, the potable water and the waste water rates rather than just a unit rate in isolation. 

mjm3346

"Cap" varies by supplier - a quick search for Southern

Year	2024-25 (£)	2025-26 (£)
Water bill	177.87	237.80
Sewerage bill	242.48	368.23
Combined bill	420.35	606.03