LAST year’s wet weather has brought much needed cheer to Islanders struggling with soaring household bills – water charges are staying low.

Jersey Water has announced that the price of water will increase by 2.5% from 1 April, with no increase in standing order charges. The company said that last year’s above-average rainfall has enabled it to make enough savings to keep the price increases below the rate of inflation.

It is the seventh year in a row that Jersey Water has kept price increases at or below the rate of inflation.
Howard Snowden, managing director and engineer at Jersey Water, said: ‘As a result of the wet weather in 2008, we made some savings which have enabled us to keep the price increase for the coming year below inflation.

‘We have done this despite the fact that this year we are facing significant increases in energy costs, as well as the introduction of the Water Resources (Jersey) Law 2007, which will require the company to pay for the abstraction of water for the first time.’