South East Water (SEW) is raising bills by an average of 7% to £324 a year for its customers from April, despite currently facing a probe from Ofwat over thousands of homes and businesses being left without water. The company’s chief executive, Dave Hinton, has been under intense scrutiny, with MPs saying he is “not up to the job” and needs to be “moved on”. Mr Carmichael said: “My colleagues and I remain deeply sceptical about the company’s version of events to date, and its board’s track record of holding the company to account." Household water bills across England and Wales are increasing by 5.4% on average in April. The Competitions and Market Authority (CMA) will have to approve SEW’s 7% increase in bills before it comes into force.