 South West water bills are still the highest in the country. |
South West England is subsidising the water costs of other parts of the UK, an MP has claimed. Speaking in the Commons, Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross has called on the government to take action over the South West's water bills.
The region's bills are the highest in the UK, despite being one of the poorest areas in the country.
The news came as South West Water announced another big increase in profits to just over �120m.
That represents a rise of 2.4% from last year.
 |  3% of the population in the South West is paying for cleaning up 30% of the country's beaches. |
The company's turnover is also up despite some loss of income as consumers switch to water meters.
The figures have been released by South West Water's parent company, the Pennon Group.
Turnover is up to almost �310m.
Much of the rise comes from approved tariff increases which will see average annual water and sewage bills go up over the next five years by as much as �50.
Faced with higher bills, 25,000 extra customers have switched to meters - costing South West Water �6.3m.
The company says its "Clean Sweep" programme has transformed the coastal environment around the South West with 98% of bathing waters conforming with EU mandatory standards.
New competition
It added it is replacing water mains and refurbishing 300 miles of pipeline.
Meanwhile the region's water watchdog, WaterVoice, is calling for reassurances from the company that it is ready to deal with new rules on competition.
From October businesses using more than 50 megalitres a year can choose to switch to an alternative supplier.
The leader of the Commons, Geoff Hoon, told Mr Younger-Ross he understood the problem but argued re-nationalisation was not the answer.
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