Andy Burnham today lashed out at water firms for treating their customers 'as a blank cheque' after five suppliers were given the green light to increase bills.Millions of households will see their rates rise after Ofwat, the industry watchdog, approved a hike in charges to fund £3.4billion in investment.The move threatens to make a mockery of the Prime Minister's pledge to tackle the cost of living and give families 'some breathing space'.An 'angry' Mr Burnham said bill payers can't be 'treated as a bottomless source of funding for other people's failures' as he reiterated his vow to take greater public control of the water industry.Five out of 13 suppliers across England and Wales are set to be given permission to increase charges for customers.This is intended to pump in additional investment by the end of the decade to help upgrade networks to cope with new housing and data centres, and tackle 'forever chemicals' to ensure drinking water is safe and reliable.Debt-laden Thames Water is one of the firms provisionally allowed to increase customers' bills between 2027 and 2030, alongside Severn Trent Water, Southern Water, Wessex Water and South East Water.Southern Water, South East Water, and Thames Water have all imposed hosepipe bans on their millions of customers this summer. Andy Burnham today lashed out at water firms for treating their customers 'as a blank cheque' after five suppliers were given the go-ahead for another increase in bills Ofwat has approved a new increase in charges for five of 13 suppliers across England and WalesOfwat has already allowed water firms to put up bills by a staggering 36 per cent between 2025 and 2030, with eye-watering increases seen in 2025 and another 5.4 per cent on average from April this year.Southern Water will see the largest bill increases after being allowed by Ofwat to increase customer bills by £80 over the next two years, with a £43 rise next year and £37 rise in 2029/30.The firm's customers currently pay on average £759 a year following an 8 per cent rise (£55) this year.Mr Burnham said: 'I understand why people are angry – I am too. The truth is customers have been asked to pay more for years, yet serious pollution incidents are at record levels and the pipes are still leaking.'None of which is the billpayer's fault, who should not be treated as a bottomless source of funding for other people's failures.'Customers cannot be treated as a blank cheque. Where water companies seek to pass unnecessary costs on to households, they will be challenged.'Our water industry has clearly not been working for people for far too long. That's why this Government will be looking at how we can give the public more control and help keep bills as low as possible.'The Consumer Council for Water (CCW), which represents customers, said the decision comes as households are already struggling with wider cost-of-living pressures, adding Ofwat needs to show 'every pound of this additional £3.4billion is necessary'.The water sector has repeatedly come under fire in recent years over rising bills at a time of poor performance for sewage spills, water quality and supply failures. Additional bill increases have been allowed for Thames Water – Britain's biggest water supplier with around 16million customers – despite the firm being on the brink of collapse as it sinks under a more than £20billion debt mountain.Creditors are looking to secure a rescue deal to stave off temporary nationalisation by the Government. Debt-laden Thames Water is one of the firms provisionally allowed to increase customer bills between 2027 and 2030Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle branded regulation of the water sector 'toothless' and pledged to 'fundamentally reform' it.She said: 'I know that households across the country are watching every pound and I share their frustration that years of underinvestment and toothless regulation has led to this.'Tim Farron, the Lib Dem environment spokesman, branded Ofwat a 'rubber stamp for failure'.He said: 'Once again, billpayers are set to be rinsed for using an essential resource thanks to a useless regulator.'Ofwat is merely a rubber stamp for failure. Hardworking families are being forced to cough up another £3.4billion to fix a broken water network that greedy executives have neglected for decades.'How many times do we have to call for the toothless Ofwat to be scrapped before the Government actually do it?'They made the commitment, but they can't seem to follow through. It is a total disgrace to reward this environmental vandalism. There must be no more blank cheques for failure.'Steve Hobbs, senior policy lead at the CCW, said: 'Customers want investment that delivers cleaner rivers, more reliable water supplies and infrastructure fit for the future.'But that ambition must be balanced against the fact many households are already really struggling with higher water bills and wider cost-of-living pressures.'Ofwat needs to be able to show that every pound of this additional £3.4billion is necessary, delivers value for money and is not funding work water companies should have already have paid for.'Trust in water companies has never been lower and customers need to see their money is being well spent.'The draft determination follows a three-month review by Ofwat, with the 13 firms originally putting forward requests for further investment of £4.3billion.A spokesman for Water UK, which represents suppliers, said: 'This summer's drought has shown exactly why new investment is so vital. This expenditure will help to safeguard services, unlock new homes and business growth, and replace ageing infrastructure.'For most customers there will be no immediate impact on bills. Where bills will rise, we recognise any increase is difficult and help is available for anyone struggling to pay.'Ofwat will consult on the draft decision until September 24, with a final verdict due in December.Helen Campbell, executive director for delivery at Ofwat, said: 'The newly agreed funding will help unlock much-needed new housing development and boost business growth across a range of sectors, as well as improving drinking water quality and the removal of PFAS and forever chemicals.'We will track performance to ensure companies are delivering the expected improvements for customers and the environment. If they don't, expenditure can be clawed back.'