Water bills in the region are set to rise by more than 50 per cent by 2030, the industry regulator has announced this morning as tens of thousands of Hampshire homes are without supply. 

The 53 per cent increase for Southern Water customers, £642 on average, is the biggest increase of any water company.

An average £31 countrywide increase, from April, is higher than the £19 per year Ofwat proposed, but lower than water companies had requested.

READ MORE: Huge water outage runs into second day - live updates

Ofwat said the increase was enough for water companies in England and Wales to pay for upgrades and reduce sewage discharges.

The rise is before inflation has been added so actual bills are likely to be even higher.

The water industry has faced fierce criticism in recent years over leaks and sewage discharges into rivers.

73,000 Southern Water customers in Southampton, the New Forest, Romsey and Eastleigh are currently affected by a water outage following a 'technical issue' at Testwood Water Supply Works in Totton.

Around 58,000 homes and businesses are currently without water, after some diversions were put in place following the quality problems at the Testwood water supply works preventing water from leaving the site.

Ofwat said higher bills would pay for £104bn upgrade for the sector.

Chief executive David Black said: “Today marks a significant moment. It provides water companies with an opportunity to regain customers’ trust by using this £104 billion upgrade to turn around their environmental record and improve services to customers.

“Water companies now need to rise to this challenge, customers will rightly expect them to show they can deliver significant improvement over time to justify the increase in bills.

“Alongside the step up in investment, we need to see a transformation in companies’ culture and performance. We will monitor and hold companies to account on their investment programmes and improvements.

“We recognise it is a difficult time for many, and we are acutely aware of the impact that bill increases will have for some customers. That is why it is vital that companies are stepping up their support for customers who struggle to pay."