Cardiff mum says ‘no fat left to trim’ as water bills set for 42% rise

Robert and Bernadette Guy, from Cardiff, said they were “absolutely shocked” to discover that their Welsh Water bill was set to rise by about £400 this year to £1,400 annually.

They decided to install a water meter which had proven more cost-effective – bringing their annual bill down to £600.

But Robert said this meant they were “having to think a bit more carefully” about their water usage.

“I’ve got a lot of pint glasses and every time I wash my hands in the sink, I put a pint glass below, and we line them up on on the windowsill before putting them on the garden.

“The other day I had seven pints of water which would have gone down the drain.”

Robert said they were planning to buy a “dedicated bucket” to collect the water in the future.

“We’ve got a large garden and the thought of saying we can’t afford to water it just felt awful,” said Bernadette.

Bernadette said she was “absolutely astounded” to find out the cost of paying for their water, as it used to be just a “little add-on” to their monthly bills.

They said they felt it was also unfair to ask customers to take responsibility for years of under-investment into the ageing infrastructure.

“When I put the light switch on, I don’t care how that electricity gets to my light bulb, I just want it to work,” said Robert.

“I think that goes for a lot of people. We just want it to work when we want it and to work as cheaply as possible.”