Domestic water and sewerage bills in England and Wales have risen to an average annual sum of 294.0 pounds (423.0 euros, 513.0 dollars), according to Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales.

The 5.5-percent increase since April 2005, while above the annual rate of inflation in Britain, compares favourably with recent price hikes for electricity and gas, which in some cases have soared by more than 20.0 percent since last year owing to rocketing wholesale energy costs. Still, consumer groups believe the latest price hikes for water should have been less, especially at time when millions of households in southeast England are banned from using hosepipes to water their gardens in response to the worst drought for a century in the region around London.

"Ideally, we would like them to be lower, but if water companies have said they are for the reasons they've mentioned then there is no getting around that," said Karen Blanchette, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Council for Water.

Ofwat says the latest hikes are necessary for water companies to meet the rising costs of delivering safe drinking water to homes, removing waste, and improving the environment and customer service.

It points out that the bills are in line with those charged to customers in most other developed countries. Britain's water industry was privatized between 1989 and 1990, when the opposition Conservative Party was in power.

"We would have said (a rise) at around 3.0 percent would have been fair," Blanchette said. "Utilities bills are going up and to get the added one of water it doesn't help the consumer at all."

British annual inflation stood at 2.0 percent in February, according to the latest official data.

Some 13 million Britons are meanwhile experiencing the first hosepipe ban in southeastern England for 15 years, while water companies have warned that more stringent measures could be required during the British summer unless there is heavy rainfall.

Using hosepipes and sprinkler systems to water gardens -- a favourite English pastime -- has been banned across much of the region, as is using a hosepipe to wash cars.

Households ignoring the order could be fined 1,000 pounds, warn companies like Thames Water, which is Britain's biggest water company and serves homes in London.

Water firms are encouraging members of the public to report on neighbours who flout the hosepipe ban.

Blanchette welcomed the ban but said companies needed to put their own house in order by preventing leaks occurring from underground pipes that date back as much as 150 years.

"In the southeast it is very dry due to two very dry winters so this hosepipe ban is necessary in that respect," said Blanchette, who added:

"Thames have had quite a lot of leaks and continue to miss its targets. When you get to relationship like that it makes it difficult to get the consumer onside. "Water companies need to do that if they are going to have people obey to hosepipe bans."

Thames Water, a subsidiary of German energy supplier RWE, was leaking enough water per day to fill 366 Olympic-sized swimming pools, Ofwat said in July 2005.

Under normal circumstances, Britons wishing to use a hosepipe must have a water meter installed at their property. Homes without a meter pay a fixed annual water bill.

Companies, such as those running golf courses, are not affected by the ban but Thames Water has warned that this could change if the region experiences a spell of very dry weather over the coming months.

This could mean water restrictions being imposed at the Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis championships in June and July, where matches are played on grass, the company said.

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