Bosses at Yorkshire Water say they have listened to customers and halved a planned rise in charges this year.

The Bradford-based utility says household bills in West Yorkshire will rise by an average of £6, instead of the planned £12 - raising the average annual charge from April 1 to £373, compared with £368 last year..

The company says it is cutting its profits to help keep the rise in bills below the planned level of 1.6 per cent from April.

Chief executive Richard Flint said: “Customers in West Yorkshire already pay some of the lowest average bills in the country but we’ve heard the message that we need to continue to deliver a great service while keeping bills as low as possible.

“We know many customers are feeling the pinch and have taken action by limiting the price rise for this coming financial year.”

Prices are agreed every five years by industry regulator Ofwat and a 1.6 per cent rise over and above inflation was originally planned.