BBC Scotland today, has:
Water bills in Scotland will rise by 8.7% in April – an average of £42 a year. The increase will take the average bill in Scotland to £532, which remains among the lowest of any water company in the UK.
The rise – which works out at an average of about £3.50 extra a month – is in line with limits set by the independent economic regulator, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS). Average water bills in England and Wales rose by 26%, or £123 a year last April.
The average last year in Scotland was £4901 but in other parts of the UK:
- Southern Water: £703
- South West Water: £686
- Wessex Water: £669
- Anglian Water: £626
- Thames Water: £639
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water: £639
- United Utilities: £598
- Yorkshire Water: £602
- Severn Trent Water: £556
- Northumbrian Water: £506
- Hafren Dyfrdwy: £5902
Sources:
- https://wics.scot/latest/scottish-water-announces-2025-26-charges
- https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/publication/household-average-bills-information-for-2025-26
What about quality, thinking about poisoned Devon villagers, Thames rowers and Lake Windermere tourists, suffering in recent weeks and years?
How clean then is Scotland’s water?
A quick factcheck tells us:
The flows and levels in Scotland’s water environment are currently at good or better condition in 90% of rivers, lochs and groundwaters. This is up from 88% when we published the second RBMPs. https://www.thenational.scot/news/20833401.scotland-compare-england-water-beaches-closed-sewage-spills-south/
Why is this the case?
Does Scotland show there is an alternative to this system? Scottish Water is a wholly public entity directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament. It offers lower bills than any of the English companies, and invests around 35% more in infrastructure. This is delivering results for the Scottish taxpayer and public.https://www.environment.gov.scot/our-environment/water/scotland-s-freshwater/
And England’s water? NINE times more likely to contain sewage
From the Guardian on 12th August 2023:
‘An utter disgrace’: 90% of England’s most precious river habitats blighted by raw sewage and farming pollution. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/12/an-utter-disgrace-90-of-englands-most-precious-river-habitats-blighted-by-raw-sewage-and-farming-pollution
This requires little effort.
England above, Scotland below:
The flows and levels in Scotland’s water environment are currently at good or better condition in 90% of rivers, lochs and groundwaters. This is up from 88% when we published the second RBMPs (River Basin Management Planning).
So far, only STV, Guardian and Independent covering this.
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Talking-up Scotland 
Alas, there is sewage galore in the flood of propaganda pouring out from the branch office puppets and their colonial mejah.
A bad taste in your mouth?
Regurgitated crap pretending to be news from BBC North Brit, I’m sorry to say. And we pay for it (in more ways than one).
gavinochiltree
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The comparison comes into sharp relief when you consider SW has to maintain thousands of miles of mains to hundreds of reservoirs to serve both major cities and small communities with sparse populations – In truth there is NO valid comparison to me made on the scope of operations or costs with any other water company in England and Wales.
On the BBC Scotland article “Scottish Water bills to rise by 8.7% from April” https://archive.ph/BCoKD, my head almost exploded on reading the 7th paragraph – Whoever authored this was more concerned with covering BBC Scotland’s arse (James Cook) in shielding what is an ongoing clear and present danger in the south of England, running out of water as well as electrical power, by implying Scots were in much the same situation.
By the ” Investment and recent challenges ” heading, I was expecting the worst framing of all, and was not disappointed – I give you the 4th to 6th statements, 4- “In 2025, Scotland had its driest start to the year in six decades, with rainfall at just 59% of normal levels” – 5- “Daily demand spiked by 100 million litres, equivalent to supplying all of Tayside”, 6- “Emergency water supplies were transported to rural communities”.
The last was amusing in that there was not the slightest connection to the preceding framing, it’s an illusion conjured by the Tailor’s dummy from Pacific Quay.
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England and Wales are the only countries in the entire world which are fully privatised
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