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Creating a stronger, greener and healthier North West

Over the next five years we will undertake the largest investment in water and wastewater services in the North West in 100 years. We spoke to over 95,000 customers and stakeholders across the North West who told us what mattered to them and their communities when putting together our plans, which have been independently assessed and approved by our regulator.

Our investment plan for 2025-2030

Between 2025 and 2030 we will deliver an investment plan of more than £13 billion. This will deliver improvements to our services, building on the work already started to reduce storm overflow spills by 60% by 2030 and make sure we provide a reliable water supply to you.

The work we are carrying out over the next five years will also help to improve water quality for 1.4 million customers, protect and enhance over 500km of rivers and bathing waters while also helping to reduce leakage by 26% by 2030.

It is a huge boost for the North West economy, supporting 30,000 jobs in the region.

We have produced investment plans for each county – so one for Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. We’ve included information below on how we are investing across the North West.

What this means for you and your bill

The scale of our five-year investment plan means that unfortunately bills will need to increase to ensure that the services we provide are resilient to climate change, meet the demands of our growing population and address the priorities of our customers.
We want to be as transparent as possible when explaining your charges and the services you pay for.

On average our wholesale charges (the prices that we charge your water retailer) will increase by 23.6% in 2025/26, split between 21.4% water and 25.4% wastewater. The actual bill increase for individual customers will depend on the services received and your contract with your water retailer.

How we are investing in the North West

We’ve engaged with 95,000 people across the North West, shaping our five-year plan to address the things that you’ve told us matter most.

Our 2025-2030 plan includes:

  • Our plan will help to improve water quality for 1.4 million customers across the North West.
  • We are also investing in a programme to build a network fit for the future, fixing leaks and replacing old pipes and mains.
  • We know that customers want us to do more to reduce the frequency that our storm overflows operate. The work we are doing will improve the quality of our rivers by reducing storm overflow spills by 60% over the decade to 2030.
  • Our investment will also help to protect and enhance over 500km of rivers and improve the North West’s bathing waters.
  • We will also strengthen our sewer network against increased rainfall to reduce flooding of homes and businesses.
  • We’re delivering a smart metering programme that will see us install 1 million smart meters across the region –including the replacement of all non-household customer meters.
  • Our five-year investment plan will support 30,000 jobs and attract investment into the North West to help us deliver our improvements.

This is just a snapshot of the multi-billion pound investment we have planned for the North West. We’ve produced separate plans for each of the region’s five counties to help explain more about the work we will undertake in your area over the next five years. You can find these county plans here.