WESSEX Water has announced that customer bills will go down in real terms over the next six years.

The water company has proposed to keep bills below inflation while at the same time pledging to continue investment in maintaining and improving water and sewerage services.

Wessex Water submitted a business plan for 2015/20 to regulator Ofwat on Monday detailing its investment plans.

It follows the company’s biggest and most in-depth customer consultation exercise which involved getting the views of more than 21,000 customers and 90 stakeholders including organisations such as the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and consumer body CC Water.

The company is proposing to invest around £1.2bn between 2015 and 2020 improving water and sewerage infrastructure, providing higher levels of service and continuing to make environmental improvements. But has said bills will fall in real terms from next year with the average household bill in 2019-20 being £454 compared to the current average bill of £479 a year.

Ofwat will be scrutinising water company business plans over the next 12 months and final decisions about bills and investment are expected to be published in January 2015.