Thames Water announced yesterday that £5.1bn of investment would be spent on its pipes and sewers – at a cost of £2 above inflation on bills next year.

The water provider was not able to say exactly how much of the money would benefit projects in Oxfordshire at this early stage.

Across the region, the firm says the money would maintain and upgrade treatment works, pipes and sewers between 2014 and 2020.

For it to achieve this, the company said its average annual bill would increase by £2 above inflation next year. It would then decline between 2015 and 2020 and the company said it would remain below inflation.