Water bills for Keighley householders will rise in April – but not by as much as first planned.

Yorkshire Water said this week it had halved a proposed increase of 1.6 per cent over and above inflation.

Average bills will now go up by £6 instead of £12.

Company bosses said they had listened to customers and would cut profits by £15 million to fund the reduced rise.

Yorkshire Water 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 – 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. We’ve also gone a step further in our proposals for the next five years by suggesting bills move only with inflation up to 2020.”