Scottish Water has announced household water and waste water charges will increase by 4.2% in 2022/23.
This will mean an average bill increase of £0.31 per week and will continue to be taken alongside council tax.
The rise has been attributed to service delivery, investment in ageing infrastructure and improvements in water quality.
Climate change has also forced Scottish Water to increase investment, as well as ensuring they are reducing carbon emissions and that customers have reliable and resilient services in future.
Douglas Millican, chief executive, said: “The quality of Scotland’s drinking water remains very high, and we are investing to protect the environment from pollution.
“Higher levels of investment are needed to protect services now and over the long term, particularly in meeting the challenges of more intense rainfall, flooding, and drought, and reducing carbon emissions.”
Licensed providers who supply businesses and other non-domestic customers will also have their charges increased by 4.2%.
‘We understand there needs to be a balance’
Scottish Water serves 2.6 million households, supplies 1.5 billion litres of water and removes and cleans 1 billion litres of used and surface water daily.
Water and waste water charges rise over £1 billion annually, but around half of Scottish households receive financial support.
With electricity bills also on the rise, Mr Millican explained that Scottish Water is taking the difficult financial time into consideration.
He did however warn that charges will keep increasing in years to come.
“We understand there needs to be a balance between the need for higher levels of investment and the financial challenges faced by households at the present time,” he said.
“We have set charges at a level that takes account of those challenges while being open and clear that charges will need to increase further in future years.”
