Thames Water is asking the competition regulator to allow it to charge customers even more over the coming years than had previously been granted. The company has already been allowed a 35 per cent rise in consumer bills over the next five years by water regulator Ofwat,

British utility Thames Water lodged an appeal to the country's competition regulator on Friday, beginning a process to try to raise the prices it can charge customers for the next five years and improve its chances of survival.

The UK's largest household supplier gives several reasons for seeking even higher hikes to its bills from April for the next five years.

Thames Water has already been allowed to increase bills by 35% over the next five years by regulator Ofwat, but they're now asking to raise prices even more