HOUSEHOLD water bills will rise by 9.9 per cent next year, Scottish Water announced today.

Despite 52 per cent of the 2.6 million homes they serve already requiring financial support with their bills, the utility firm, owned by the Scottish government, says bills will be hiked by £3.98 a month — or £44 a year — from April 1.

The board’s decision follows an 8.8 per cent hike last year.

It also comes just days after Unite announced it would ballot more than 500 members at Scottish Water, including wastewater operatives, water treatment and burst repair operatives, maintenance engineers, electricians and sewage tanker drivers, amid ongoing disputes over what they brand a “botched” pay regrading scheme and soaring executive pay.

Announcing the ballot earlier this week, the union’s industrial officer Sam Ritchie accused Scottish Water’s board of being “too preoccupied with awarding themselves bonus and pension top-ups to make our members a decent pay offer.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham slammed the “eye-watering packages” its executive team members raked in after it emerged that £227,000 had been dished out in bonuses alone last year.

Scottish Water chief executive Alex Plant, who received an £87,000 bonus last year on top of his whopping £249,000-a-year salary, said of the bill hike: “Weather conditions in Scotland are becoming more extreme, and we are seeing more frequent periods of both drought and intense rainfall.

“This puts our current infrastructure under significant pressure, and, without increased investment, we risk reductions in service quality in the future.

“Today’s announcement will enable us to continue to provide essential high-quality services to millions of people today, while also investing prudently for the future, and ensuring that costs are shared fairly between current and future generations.”