Reacting to the news that Sutton & East Surrey Water have provisionally failed to persuade the regulator Ofwat to agree a 10.2% rise in water charges next year, East Surrey MP Peter Ainsworth said:

"Ofwat have reached the right decision in this case. Sutton & East Surrey Water tried to get a one-off price rise partly to compensate for lost revenue. Their revenues have been hit because households with meters are heeding advice about responsible water use and are using less water. I accept that the company needs to make money to invest, but penalising people for doing the right thing would be utterly perverse.

"Ofwat is instead proposing that the company's charges rise below inflation next year. I am pleased that, at a time of economic difficulty, my constituents will be relieved to know that there will be one bill next year that is lower in real terms."