I did look for a source after I posted, but I couldn't find one, so I may be wrong. It was a throwaway comment on the radio news while I was driving. It might just be the one-off connection charge. That might have a surcharge over the actual cost of connection. When I worked for the water company, each new connection had an extra "infrastructure charge" which was justified on the grounds that one day, the whole infrastructure or treatment works would need upgrading to cope with all the extra load being added piecemeal. it would be interesting to see where all that money, which should be safely invested, is now...
