Water bills for residents in Tendring could go down if the industry watchdog gets its way.
The water regulator, Ofwat, today said it wanted to see charges in the district reduced by more than four per cent in 2005-06 and then kept stable over the following four years.
Its recommendations have been made following Tendring Hundred Water's three per cent price rise proposal earlier this year, which was among the lowest in the country.
If implemented, Ofwat's charges would see the average domestic water bill in Tendring come down from £155.20 to £151.90 before inflation within five years, according to the company.
Anglian Water, which provides sewerage services to homes in Tendring, proposed a 17 per cent increase. This was the lowest request nationally, with an average bill rise of £52 annually over the five years.
But today Ofwat said they could only rise by about three per cent - £9 before inflation - in total over the five-year period.
Andrew Smith, general manager of Tendring Hundred Water, said today: "We believe that customers place particular importance on the reliability and continuity of their water supply and that they wish to see the current performance levels achieved by the company maintained into the future."
Published Thursday August 5, 2004
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