Essex & Suffolk Water says it is putting up its average water bill by 4p a week, as it continues its multi-million pound investment programme.

The company says its 1.8million customers will, on average, pay about 65p per day for their drinking water services as the water company.

It will invest around £50m on essential improvements for the year from April 2016 as part of its £250m investment from 2015 to 2020.

The water company has completed a £150million investment in the Abberton Scheme, securing future water supplies to 1.5 m people in Essex, and expanding and enhancing the internationally-important wetland to benefit habitat and wildlife biodiversity.

It is also investing in major improvements to maintain and improve the reliability and quality of drinking water delivered through its network of 8,600km of water pipes.

Replacement of old iron water mains, some of which are more than 80 years old, is among its top priorities, it says.

Chief executive officer Heidi Mottram said: “Although appreciating that any increase in charges will not be welcomed, our household customers will still pay an average of 65p per day for their drinking water services which represents great value for money.

“We are also continuing to ensure that we run our business as efficiently and sustainably as possible to the benefit of all our customers and stakeholders.

“This on-going investment programme not only delivers improvements for our customers, but is also helping to provide much needed work for local companies and secure jobs in the regions we supply,” she added.

“We are very aware that some people have difficulty managing the family budget and the affordability of our services is always a concern. We offer many ways to assist people through our SupportPLUS scheme and would urge any customers who think they may experience difficulty to get in touch with us as soon as possible.”

Customers who are facing difficulty in paying their bills can find more information at www.eswater.co.uk/your-home/your-account/Difficulty-paying.aspx and by visiting www.stepchange.org.