Bournemouth Water continues to keep prices down

03rd February 2016

Bournemouth Water published its annual water prices today, which sees the average household customer bill set at £136 for 2016/17, £11 less than it was five years ago.

Bournemouth Water froze its prices in 2014 and took more than 11% off bills last year. This year, the company’s new owner, Pennon Group plc, offered an immediate benefit to customers by reducing the average bill by a further £1 after accounting for inflation. This means the average household bill will increase by less than inflation in 2016/17. At £136, Bournemouth Water’s average household bill is over 25% less than the average across the country for water supply.  

While keeping prices down, Bournemouth Water will continue to deliver improvements in areas customers have identified as priority. The company aims to maintain its position as one of the best performers in the industry across a range of areas including customer service, levels of interruptions to supply, and water quality. 

Among the planned improvements is a promise to fix visible leaks quickly, to further reduce leakage from the network of water mains, and to reduce the amount of energy used in its operation. In addition, the company has extended the range of support it offers customers who have difficulty paying their bills and is looking to introduce a social tariff during 2016.  And to help keep bills low for the benefit of all paying customers, Bournemouth Water will continue to employ industry-leading debt management practices. 

Bob Taylor, Bournemouth Water’s Managing Director, said: “We’re making improvements to areas of our service that our customers particularly value. Our plan has quantifiable targets, performance against which will be challenged by Customer View, an independent customer panel – and penalties will be applied if we fail to meet them. This will ensure continued alignment of our priorities and those of our customers.”