Water bills to rise by 17%

From the Daily Mail:

Households face rises in their water bills of 17 per cent over the next five years.

The increase comes as Thames Water today reveals profits surging to £605million - the highest for a British water supplier.

The company, which has already put up bills by a third in the past five years, said average annual household water bills are to rise from £283 to £331 between next year and 2015.

Londoners will be hit hardest next year by water bill increases of 10.5 per cent, according to the company's five-year business plan.