United Utilities to increase water bills by 32% over five years

Household water bills for millions of customers will rise by 32% over the next five years, United Utilities has announced.

The water company, which supplies Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, and most of Cheshire, said the increase had been negotiated in December with the regulator Ofwat.

Household bills will initially rise by an average of £86 from April.

Water companies have said they needed to increase bills to fund infrastructure projects designed to reduce pollution incidents.