Our water bills are set to rise from April.

The latest prices, published on Tuesday by Ofwat, show customers of South East Water will see the biggest increase, with the average annual bill going up 6.1 per cent to £176.

Residents being served by Southern Water will see their average bill for water only go up £4 to £131.

Meanwhile, customers of Veolia Water Southeast, formerly Folkestone and Dover Water will receive the highest average bills at £181, although it's an increase of only £5 on last year.

South East Water claims the rise will help the company begin its next multi-million pound investment programme on its extensive water supply operation and improve customer service.

Paul Butler, managing director, said: "The start of the next five-year period will see us deliver our largest ever capital programme, on top of the day-to-day costs of running our extensive water supply operations. The income we receive from water bills is vital to help us do this.

"While we realise no customer welcomes rising utility bills, I firmly believe the level of our water supply charges – an average of just 48 pence per day for all the water our customers want and need – remains excellent value for money."

This year was the first time the Consumer Council for Water, as an independent consumer body, had an opportunity to influence the prices customers pay.

Chairman Dame Yve Buckland said: "We negotiated hard with Ofwat and each water company to secure improvements customers told us were important to them, such as more investment to prevent sewer flooding, and work to ensure even better quality tap water - and importantly, without the overall increase in prices that customers have seen in previous years.

"Anyone who thinks they may struggle to afford their water bill should contact their company immediately.

"Many companies may be able to offer more flexible payment options, such as weekly or monthly payment plans, and most have set up trust funds or other schemes to help eligible customers who cannot afford their water bills."