Millions in England to pay higher water bills after suppliers appeal

Anglian, Southern, Wessex and South East allowed to raise charges more than originally permitted by watchdog

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Millions of households in England will pay even higher water bills than previously expected, after the competition regulator gave its final verdict on industry spending plans for the coming years.

Five water companies had appealed to the Competition and Markets Authority to let them raise bills higher than was initially allowed by Ofwat, the industry watchdog. On Tuesday, the CMA said it would let them raise annual bills by an extra 2.2% on average.