Well done, Wendeey - thank you. 
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Up here in Scotland, we pay water charges as part of our council tax (it comes under “sewerage charge”) and the cap is set to be lifted on that too. We don’t have water meters (although I suppose you could ask for one to be installed if you really wanted to), but I do wonder…how is it possible that water meters can be switched off if you don’t pay your bill? Or limited access anyway? Water is life for goodness sake!
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Pixie not sure if it’s the same in Scotland, but in England the water companies can’t switch off your water:
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Well that’s good to know, Wendeey! I’m pretty sure there would be riots in the street if that ever did happen! 
Yes it works here.
Just got this years Water Bill, we are with Severn Trent and not metered. Last year just gone £689.13, this coming year £843.29, this is a 22.5% increase, according to OFWAT the average increase is 26%, that’s just bonkers!!
Just got mine from Yorkshire Water Spitty, bloody eye watering…
Unmetered and last year was £651.76 This year…£854.12…
OFTWAT want to be careful or else I might stop buying water… 
Those figures for unmetered water rates sound very expensive - the bill calculation is based on the Rateable Value of your home, isn’t it?
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to have a Water Meter installed?
I pay quarterly and am billed for how much I have used - it varies between about £40 and £50 per quarter.
My Metered Water Bills totalled £182 for this last year.
If there was two people living here, I expect the cost would be quite a bit more but even if that Bill was doubled, it would still be much cheaper than the unmetered water rates you are paying.
I heard Water Charges were due to increase this April by an average of about 25%
(I read it will be an increase of 29% for Yorkshire Water) so that will put my Bill up to about £240 this year.
I don’t know if you have looked at the possibility of a Water Meter but there is a handy calculator which gives you an estimate of whether it is likely to be cheaper to switch to a Meter or not.
Link here
The Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert site gives more info if anyone is interested
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/cut-water-bills/
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Raw sewage is finding its way into Windermere.
Anyone want to deny this whilst were at it? 
Where are pensioners supposed to find that extra money when the increase this April is 4.1%?
Although ours goes up every year it seems we save a lot by having a water meter.
A little under £200 last year, including garden watering.
That is with Thames Water.
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I am the same as HelenP. We had a water meter fitted many years ago when my husband was alive and do seem to have much cheaper bills than those who don’t have one. I have three water butts in the garden for watering the plants and that of course saves money too, although in really dry summers the hose pipe needed to come out but it didn’t push the bill up by very much. I don’t know how much the bill is this year because it hasn’t arrived yet, any time now I expect.
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I’m just waiting for some feedback from a neighbour who lives in the same band property but have a water meter. However, if £854 is the price to pay for the luxury to use water in copious amounts without limit, than I shall pay it.
My lawns and garden will thank me for it in the summer…And Mrs Fox and me won’t have to bathe in the same bath water to save money, unlike my neighbours with the crap lawns… 
We had no say in a Water Meter, it is fitted to the main Stop Cock in the street (Severn Trent’s Property). We are not billed on it at the moment (I can activate at any time on our online account) but, I guess it will be thrust upon us at some point.
At the moment the water companies don’t seem to have enough revenue to operate so, meter or no meter, it’s going to get expensive.
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I don’t feel I have to stint on my water usage just because I have a Water Meter, Foxy.
I just use water when I need to and I would still use the same amount, whether I had a Meter or not.
I still use a pressure washer to clean all my paths and patios every Spring.
If my garden is very dry, I water it with a hosepipe (unless there is a hosepipe ban, of course)
The great thing about getting a Water Meter is that it doesn’t cost you anything to try it and see if it saves you money or not.
Most Water Companies allow you to go back to your unmetered Water Rates at any time within 2 years of having a Water Meter fitted.
(I think you said you are with Yorkshire Water and I know they offer this option of switching back to unmetered water rates if you decide the Meter is not saving you money.)
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Although we have a meter we do use water sparingly, not only to save money but to do what we can to save the planet. Little things help, the washing up water is used on the garden, only full loads go in the washing machine, never leave taps running.
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I’m just waiting for some feedback from my neighbours about their water bill boot, I think they probably use about the same as we do. I might consider a meter depending on the size of their bill. What can I lose? 
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I gave up wearing my underpants on the outside of my tunic a long time ago Helen.
The planet and those greedy B’stards at Yorkshire water have done alright so far without my help. If they didn’t build so many houses perhaps the utilities would have been able to cope.
I sense your frustration OGF but if we all become part of the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” club how will the planet survive.We can’t all be heroes but we can avoid being villains.
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I don’t think I’m a villain just because I don’t believe all the ‘Saving the planet’ malarkey Helen.