Water bills are to be frozen for at least a year

The commission hopes water bills will be kept low until 2015

Water charges in Scotland should be frozen next year, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland has said.

It said Scottish Water would have to make tough efficiencies so it could continue to invest in improvements to infrastructure and customer service.

The commission said charges could be frozen again in 2011 and any rises after that would be by less than the rate of inflation until 2015.

Scottish Water welcomed the challenge of making efficiencies.

It said it was determined that its customers would not have to pay more than absolutely necessary during these tough economic times.

Sir Ian Byatt, chairman of the Water Industry Commission, said: "What's going to happen is that next April there's going to be a price freeze and with any luck, provided inflation stays reasonable, we can have a price freeze in April 2011.

"So that's the really good news for customers in Scotland - stable water bills and a price freeze for one year and possibly for two years."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version