Water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of £33 per household in April, in the latest above-inflation increase intended to fix leaking pipes and sewage treatment works. The highest average bill will be as much as £759 for Southern Water customers in southern England. Water companies have come under sustained criticism in recent years amid outrage over sewage spilling into Britain’s rivers and seas. Annual water bills surged by £123 last year at the start of the five-year period. However, the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), which represents consumers, said poorer households faced a “postcode lottery” because of different policies on support from different water companies.