WESSEX Water has announced that the average bills for its customers will go down in real terms over the next five years.

It said the average household bill for Wessex Water customers will fall by £39 and it will not increase above inflation for the next five years.

The company has also announced more than £2 billion investment, saying it will create hundreds of jobs across the region.

In Wiltshire and north Dorset the plans involve completing the integrated water supply grid, which has been ongoing since 2010.

Chief executive Colin Skellett said: “Our multi-million pound investment programme is based on the views of our customers, delivering improvements in infrastructure, resilience and higher standards of customer service.

“At the same time, by reducing returns to shareholders and further improving our efficiency, we have been able to lower customers’ bills in real terms.

“Even though bills will be going down in real terms, we recognise that some customers find it difficult to pay, which is why our plans also include further extension of our social tariffs and assistance programme – a programme that is already the most extensive in the UK.”

For more details about Wessex Water’s investment plans between 2015 and 2020 visit wessexwater.co.uk/businessplan.