British utility Thames Water lodged an appeal to the country's competition regulator on Friday, beginning a process to try to raise the prices it can charge customers for the next five years and improve its chances of survival.

Thames Water asks watchdog to let it charge even higher bills - It said steeper increases than the 35% already granted over the next five years is ‘in the interests of our customers and the environment’.

Thames Water has already been allowed to increase bills by 35% over the next five years by regulator Ofwat, but they're now asking to raise prices even more

Thames Water has launched an appeal to allow it to increase bills by more than the regulator wants to permit. The UK's largest utility company is calling on the competition regulator to overturn a decision from the water industry regulator,