14 September 2007
Scottish Water's charges are now the fourth lowest in the UK, according to the publicly owned utility's annual report.
Its £297 average bill to Scottish households for 2007/08 was lower than that of seven other UK water companies and £15 lower than the average for England and Wales.
However, it was higher than the bills levied by Northumbrian Water (£285), Severn Trent Water (£279) and Thames Water (£275).
The report also shows that Scottish Water's planned rise in water charges is lower than any made by the ten private UK water companies. Water bills in Scotland are due to go up by 3% this year, 0.5% below inflation.
Scottish Water chief executive John Hargreaves said a continuing improvement in efficiency had enabled the increases to be kept below inflation.
'Since Scottish Water was created in 2002, the efficiencies made in both the delivery of investment and in running the business amount to more than £1bn,' he added. 'Savings since 2002 have lowered household bills by more than £100 per year.'
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